Sinister Fortune
by Anordin
Summary: Seto Kaiba doesn't want the Millennium Rod, but what happens when it does come into his hands?
1. Ancient Relic

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My notes:** Post-Battle City. American dubbed names, unfortunately.

**Ancient Relic**

"And you want me to do _what_ with this thing?" Seto Kaiba asked as he fingered the Millennium Rod in his hands. The golden weapon shone in the office lights displaying its metallic heritage. "It's bad enough that I had to lose my own tournament to you, Yugi, but to think you have the nerve to offer me a runner up prize is an insult to my dignity! Take this thing away from my office and leave me in peace!" Cries of protest arose as Kaiba shoved the artifact back to its bearer.

"Big Brother! Shouldn't we hear Yugi out?" Mokuba pleaded. "He's saved us countless times and I don't think he would do anything to hurt us."

"Listen you miserable jerk, dontcha get it? Yugi's just trying to give something back to you." Joey voiced as he was being restrained by Tea and Tristan. Wheeler's insult did little to settle the mood.

Kaiba stared out to the landscape, turning his back on all. "I've never seen that thing before Battle City, and it was only being used by Marik if your memory still works."

"But Kaiba, listen to me. The spirit of the puzzle says that you were the original owner of the Millenium Rod. That's why Ishizu took us both to the Domino Museum. That's why the rod activated during your duel with Ishizu and you were able to stay in the finals. That's why we both traveled backwards in time when Obelisk and Slifer fought one another." Yugi stared up at the back of Kaiba's head. "After all this, you're just going to turn your back and deny your past, your destiny?"

"Yugi," Kaiba began, "what happened at the Battle City Finals was more likely to have been group hallucinations, chemical imbalances, and general stress we all felt. Combined with the latest state of the art holographic technology, the line between what was apparent and what was real were blurred beyond all recognition." He turned to face them. "I designed my tournament to push each participant to the limit. The Semi-Finals and Finals were intended to increase that limit to the very breaking point. Under such pressure, there is no way of knowing what did or did not occur."

"Are you telling me Kaiba that all my pain and suffering didn't happen?" Joey asked.

"There's no way to say one way or another."

"WHAT? It was definitely real, you money grubbing..." Joey's protests were cut short as he was again restrained by Tea and Tristan.

"Still Kaiba," Yugi said, "I want you to have it."

"And I don't want it," Kaiba stated. "Now I have a business to run so unless you want security to escort you out, you better leave." With that, he resumed sitting in his executive chair at his desk, and began reading some design papers.

As Yugi and company were heading out of Kaiba Corp. HQ, Yugi was mentally talking with the spirit of the puzzle. _'I just don't understand why Kaiba won't just accept the Millennium Rod.'_

'_He doesn't want to accept what he doesn't understand. Fear is a great barrier preventing the truth,' the Pharaoh stated._

'_I just wish there was a way for him to see the truth.'_

'_There just might be a way.'_ The spirit turned back to stare at the glass building. The sound of running footsteps was audible to all.

"Mokuba!" Yugi exclaimed as the breathless boy caught up with the gang.

"I'm sorry for what happened in there. Seto is still angry for losing the tournament. And for not winning the Egyptian God cards." He continued to pant.

"I'll say," Joey said. "First he hosts this tournament, and manages to get his hands on Obelisk. Then he fails to face Yugi to duel before the finals for the Slifer. Then he loses to Yugi, and the duel was broadcast around the world." He recalled watching it over and over again as the two Egyptian God Cards fought it out before cutting to static. "Well part of it at least."

"No all of it was." Mokuba stared at his feet. "We resumed the live-feed as soon as we could. Everyone saw Seto's three Blues Eyes go down." His voice became quieter. "I didn't have the heart to tell him, but when everyone started calling him the third place duelist, he soon found out." He paused, his face showing signs of concern.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Tea asked. "Come on, spit it out."

"It's just...after a few days, he was all quiet. Then he said he would never duel again. He said he needed to make a fresh start. I saw him take all of his cards and his deck and lock them down in one of our storage safes. Since then he's been working non-stop on Kaiba-land."

"Never duel again?" Joey asked. Mokuba just nodded. "Man that's rough."

It was a long time before anyone spoke. "Mokuba." Yugi handed the long-haired boy the Millennium Rod. "Will you give this to your brother?"

The Kaiba sibling looked Yugi in the eye. "I don't know if I should take it. You saw how pretty upset Seto was."

"Come on," Joey said. "It's no big deal."

"Yeah," Tea added. "Just keep it stashed away with your brother's other priceless stuff. The worst he can do is sell it, right?"

Mokuba smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It does look pretty cool." He took the rod from Yugi. "Thanks Yugi. I better hide it so Seto doesn't see me carrying it."

"Well I guess we better get going," Yugi declared. "So long Mokuba." Everyone said their goodbyes. As Yugi walked on, he knew in his heart that he had done the right thing. The spirit of the Pharaoh also thought they had acted wisely. Neither of them knew how wrong they were.


	2. Spirit Spectacle

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes: **This wasn't what I expected, or planned. Thanks for the reviews. More to come, definitely.

**Spirit Spectacle**

Mokuba sighed during the limo ride home. His brother had opted to 'put in another shift' as Seto often called it. It usually meant that he wouldn't be coming home until tomorrow evening. As the younger Kaiba sibling looked out at the moving scenery, the setting sun streaking orange and reds, his mind grew more and more fatigued. He relaxed into the leather seating.

Before he knew it, Mokuba was already at the Kaiba mansion and would soon be coddled by the modest number of servants and staff. The routine consisted of questions that Mokuba felt obliged to answer.

"How was your day, Master Mokuba?" the butler Patterson asked, offering to take Mokuba's backpack. His gloved hand matched the spotless white uniform that designated him as the head of servants.

"Can't really complain," he answered as he handed his belongings to the lean servant, knowing full well that they would be waiting in his room after dinner. "Seto's still hard at work though."

"Your brother will work himself till he's grey in the bones," the thirty-something man chuckled. The two entered the household, going straight to the large ante-chamber. Two staircases were both at left and right sides of the room, each a path to the east and west wings of the mansion. When their stepfather had died, each Kaiba brother had claimed a wing as their own personal domain while leaving the middle area of the manor as a general common ground.

"Even then, he's not going to let that stop him," Mokuba said as he watched as one of the maids arrived, a Ms. Connolly with the daily bundle of mail. "Any mail for me today?"

The lightly tanned young woman smiled. "Nothing for you I'm afraid." There was never any mail for Mokuba; he just liked to humor the black-haired maid. "There is an invitation to a party that is being hosted by the Reed family which both Kaibas should attend. And unofficially, there is a Duel Monsters tournament invite which is being hosted in France." The rest, both knew, would be business mail that his older brother would go through.

"You better give those to me, and give the rest to Seto. Well, dinner's waiting, right?" Mokuba raced towards the dining room in time to see the chef and the other servants preparing the meal. Although Seto frowned upon it, Mokuba allowed the staff to eat with him. It had occurred to him, after firing most of the previous staff and hiring few replacements, that a sort of communal activity would bring the servants and the new masters closer together. Seto had scoffed at this idea, but after a few months Mokuba noted the improved efficiency in which tasks were done.

Dinner was a seafood affair and the general conversation was light. Mokuba complained of the difficulty in Algebra, but was eagerly awaiting the dissections of frogs in Biology. The staff reminisced of those childhood days, encouraging Mokuba to keep at his studies. He listened intently as the adults generally complained about most everything. Eventually becoming full, Mokuba retired to his room.

As the long-haired boy emptied the contents of his backpack onto his desk, he found the item that he had stashed away. The Millennium Rod was cold to his touch, and was longer than his forearm. He stared at the strange round sphere at the top of the rod with its enigmatic eye and strange ear-like flourishes. It looked like a one-eyed, big eared head stuck on a stick.

_Aren't there some Duel Monster cards that look like this?_ Mokuba thought. He took out his deck and went through each card, but the only ones that looked relatively similar was Meda Bat. _I know there's more. Maybe there are still a few cards left in the game room. I better go and check it out. _

Peering out of his room to make sure no one was around, Mokuba walked down the hall towards the center chamber, carrying the rod with him. As he descended down a flight of stairs, he headed straight and entered the second door on the right. Inside was a vast row of arcade machines, pool tables, computers, sofas, chairs, bookshelves full of games and the like. Everything was powered down since no one was using them.

_Seto used to keep cards on the top shelf. Maybe he forgot about them. _Using a chair as a makeshift ladder, he reached the top and found a metal tin. Jumping down, he opened the box and found a selection of Duel Monsters. He began to paw through them.

As the boy was distracted with his task, he had left the Millennium Rod unattended on the floor. So it went unnoticed that the rod had begun to glow. But it began to glow brighter when a few cards were scattered near it.

_Ryu-Kishin, no, Judge Man, no, Hane-Hane, no..._Mokuba thought.

"...Judge Man, no, Hane-Hane, no...," a voice weakly echoed.

_Huh? Did I hear something?_

"...hear something...?"

"Alright, who's there?" Mokuba asked.

"...who's there...?"

"Show yourself! I'm not afraid." Mokuba stood, fist clenched. The game cards were scattered all around.

"...not afraid...shouldn't be afraid..." the voice had grown stronger.

Mokuba began to tremble. As his eyes darted every which way, he felt the distinct feeling that he was not alone. He shivered. _Is it getting colder?_

"Cold. So cold." The voice was behind him. And familiar?

Mokuba turned. "Big brother," he blurted. And yet it wasn't. The figure before him looked like his brother. They both had the same piercing blue eyes, and the same height and stature. But this person was wearing foreign garments. A purple piece of headwear covered most of his head, almost resembling an open-faced patterned helmet. In addition was matching purple shoulder finery with a white military cloak flowing from behind it. A golden belt held up brown trousers with a codpiece out in front. The only thing Mokuba could compare it to was the clothing a Roman Caesar could wear.

"Brother...where are you?" the figure asked as he walked _through_ Mokuba.

Mokuba blinked a few times before he did what anyone would do after having seen a ghost. He screamed and ran out the door.

Patterson was the first to come to Mokuba. "Master, what's wrong? What's the matter?" Mokuba could only mutter the word 'ghost'.


	3. Pieces of the Puzzle

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes: **I looked ahead at some of the later Yu-gi-oh manga and did more research, and let's just say that I'm very confused at whatever happens during the Ancient Egyptian story arc. So if any of you are expecting this story to conform to those events, that's not going to happen. So I'm declaring this story divorced from that arc, although I may borrow a few ideas here and there. I don't think I'll give any spoilers from that, but it could happen. So consider yourself forewarned.

And this isn't exactly moving as fast as I thought it would, which might not be a bad thing.

**Pieces of the Puzzle**

Yugi Moto yawned for the fifth time in Advanced History and he was going to settle down for a middle-of-class nap when a thump on his desk brought him back to full attention.

"Is there something you find boring about the Victorian Era, Mr. Moto?" the history teacher asked.

_All of it,_ he was tempted to say. "No, Mr. Robinson. I...just, uh, didn't get much sleep last night."

"Out dueling again?"

"No sir...I was," he paused to yawn. "I was busy studying for a test." Silence. "A test in math." A blatant lie, which was unusual since Yugi never lied.

"Try to at least keep your head up, otherwise Mr. Wheeler will follow suit. Now I was saying..." Mr. Robinson continued his lecture.

The minutes dragged on and on. It seemed the entire world revolved around the Industrial Revolution of England and Europe. Progress and technological achievements. Specialization. Assembly lines. Joey Wheeler's large coif of hair.

"Yugi...Yugi...Hey Yugi!" The short duelist mumbled some words before he was shaken awake. "Yugi! Class is over man."

"It is?" He looked around and found that he and Joey were the only ones in the classroom. "It is!"

"Told ya. Come on, let's go. We gotta meet the others." Joey led Yugi out into the crowded hallway, jammed packed with students and lockers. The general hub-bub kept Yugi awake long enough to make it to the commons area. There the two met up with Tea and Tristan and settled into their usual table. After a few minutes, the crowds departed for their classes, save for them and a few other regulars who had this free period. They all were seated at a round table.

"Man Yugi, you look tired. What happened?" Tristan asked, breaking the silence.

Yugi, who was going to sleep, stared at Tristan for a moment, before realizing he had been asked a question, and then another moment before he realized he needed to answer it. "Oh...uh, Kaiba dropped by, for a visit."

"Last night?" Tristan waited till Yugi nodded. "Why would he want to come to visit you, especially with what happened yesterday?" he inquired.

"Because...," there was another yawn, "...apparently Mokuba thought he saw...saw a ghost," Yugi informed everyone.

"A ghost?" Tea repeated.

"Yeah... he said...it looked like Kaiba...and it scared him."

"What? But Kaiba's not dead. Although I haven't seen old money bags today." Joey remarked.

"Knowing him, he's probably skipping so he can work." Tristan said. "Man, I hope I never become like that."

Yugi continued telling his story, not realizing he had been interrupted. "Around two in the morning, when normal people were...sleeping," A silly smile appeared on his face, "...there's this pounding at the door. Very LOUD pounding. Woke the entire neighborhood up. Since Grandpa was in the Great War, he could sleep through anything. I slowly got out of bed, crawled downstairs, and opened the door."

"And then?" Tea asked.

"The pounding stopped." Yugi then lowered his head to the table, his hands covering his ears. "...then the yelling started." He shuddered and started rocking back and forth. "So much yelling..."

"Let me get this straight Yuge, Kaiba comes knocking at your door at two in the morning, starts yelling at you, all because Mokuba thought that he was dead?" Joey asked in a brilliant display of deductive reasoning.

"Wait a minute, that doesn't make any sense," Tea commented. "Mokuba would never rat out on Yugi."

"I don't think that he would, under normal circumstances. But ya hafta remember that Mokuba thought he saw his brother's ghost. He could have been much freaked out and said whatever popped into his head. The bond between siblings is very strong. I should know," Joey smiled. Then he noticed the odd stares coming from Tea and Tristan. "What?"

"Are you sure you're our Joey?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, you've been making way too much sense today." Tea added.

"WHAT? I make sense all the time. Why there's nothing that can escape my reasoning skills," Joey boasted. "Ain't that right Yuge? Yuge?"

Yugi had given in to his desire; his face was down on the table and was quietly snoring.

"Aww the poor guy's all tuckered out," Tea said. "You know, maybe one of us should take him home and let him get some sleep."

"Good idea Tea. I'd do it, but I got Calculus next period." Joey gritted his teeth. "I can't afford to skip any more of that class."

"I'd do it too, except I got Chemistry next. And you know how Mr. Collins hates people missing his class," Tristan said. "What do you have next Tea?"

"Business Law."

"Oh good. You can skip that. No problem." Joey assumed.

"Yes problem. Today I'm the prosecutor in this mock lawsuit we've been preparing. I can't afford to miss this and still get a passing grade." But she turned her head to the sleeping schoolboy. "Still we can't leave him like this."

Joey leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up. "Hey, isn't that Bakura? Hey Bakura!" Joey waved down the white haired teen. He was walking along and seemed a bit distracted. But when he heard Joey's voice, he turned and smiled as he joined the gang.

"Hi guys. What's the matter with Yugi? It's a bit early to be taking a nap." He chuckled as he straightened his button up school uniform.

"Oh that. Apparently Yuge had a late night visitor by the name of Kaiba and kept him up all night." Joey informed.

"Oh my. That doesn't sound very pleasant at all. But why would Kaiba come and stop by Yugi's?" Bakura looked around for an empty seat.

"Mokuba said he thought he saw a ghost of Kaiba...and well you know how Kaiba gets...," Joey's logic skills were trying to find a connection.

"That still doesn't explain...," Bakura started. He remained standing.

Tea struck the bull's-eye. "The Millennium Rod! Kaiba must have found it and realized it could have only come from Yugi."

"Yeah. And that would explain Kaiba's tantrum at Yugi." Tristan added.

"Wait, are you saying that the Millennium Rod caused Mokuba to see a ghost of Kaiba?" Joey asked. "But it's not like we've ever seen ghosts when we're with Yugi."

"Yeah but a lot of weird stuff does happen to him." Tristan said.

"And we've all been caught up in it." Tea put in.

"So fill me in. Yugi has the Millennium Rod and he's been trying to give it to Kaiba...," Bakura began.

"But of course he doesn't want it, but then Mokuba took it for him." Tea continued.

"And then Mokuba goes and sees a ghost of Kaiba, but Kaiba's not dead, but it freaks him out anyways..." Joey added.

"So Kaiba pays Yugi a visit. Ah I see. Oh dear." Bakura said. "If I didn't know Yugi personally, I would be very upset by all that occurred."

"That's Kaiba in a nutshell alright." Tristan said. "I swear that guy doesn't have a fun bone in his body. "

"Hey Bakura, what are you doing next period?" Joey asked.

"I was going to do some research in the library."

"Would you mind taking Yugi home? I don't think he's in any condition to stay in school." Yugi's snoring had turned into quiet murmuring.

Bakura looked around. "I take it that everyone else is busy?" All nods. "Well I guess I can take him. Does anyone have some bus fare?" After receiving some cash donations, he picked up Yugi by the arm, and let him lean-walk against him. "Come on Yugi. Time to take you home." Rounds of thanks were given by everyone and the two walked out of Domino High. Safely out of the way, the Millennium Ring emerged around Bakura's chest.

_So, an unwanted Millennium Item,_ the Tomb-raider spirit thought to himself. _Fitting that the High Priest doesn't want the responsibilities that are rightfully his._ He grinned. _And what the High Priest doesn't know won't hurt him._

When the two arrived at the Game Shop, Bakura, who was no longer displaying the ring, was kindly greeted by Grandpa Moto. He was in the process of sorting some strange mail from Kaiba Corp. After explaining the situation, Mr. Moto allowed Bakura to take Yugi to his room. Allowing him to rest in his own bed, Bakura quickly espied the two additional Millennium Items that were in the room.

_Yugi may contain the spirit of the Pharaoh, but that doesn't entitle him to possess all the Millennium Items._ Reaching out to the rod and the necklace, Bakura was suddenly blinded by a bright light.

"Thief, those items do not belong to you." It was Shadi.

Bakura scowled. "Is there a law against taking what isn't wanted?"

The white turban man held out the Millennium Ankh as if he was confronting a great evil. "These items were never meant for one person alone."

"Yet the Pharaoh seems to possess many. I only mean to unburden him from his material wealth." The Tomb-raider stared at Yugi's direction. "Especially since his spiritual wealth seems to be scattered across the sands of time."

The Millennium Puzzle glowed and out came the Pharaoh in spirit form. He did a quick glance at Bakura, Shadi, and the necklace and returned rod. He turned to Bakura. "You! What are you doing here? I did not give you back your Millennium Ring."

Bakura only showed his incisors. "The Ring knows its true master."

"Explain yourself. What are you doing here?"

"I am only here to claim my property." The tomb-raider eyes narrowed. "After all, the bloods, sweat, and tears of an entire people lie in these items. A people you failed, _pharaoh_."

"What do you mean? I served Egypt and all her people to the utmost of my abilities."

"Did you pharaoh?"

Shadi stood between the two. "Enough of this bickering. These items shall be given to their rightful owners."

Both pharaoh and tomb-raider exclaimed, "But they're in my possession!"

"The time of dispersion is at hand. Those who are destined to wield these objects are appearing. My task as Guardian is coming to an end," Shadi explained, as he picked up both the Millennium Rod and Necklace in his hands. "Whatever happens afterwards is in an authority beyond my control." He turned to Tomb-raider. "Know that there are consequences for trying to coerce powers which you are not ready for." Turning to the Pharaoh, Shadi added, "And there are events that even the nameless Pharaoh does not know about, before and _after_ his reign." With that, he disappeared.

"Seems we've both been robbed," the Pharaoh stated.

Bakura just scowled. Then laughed as he left.


	4. Guardianship

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes:** This one is very long. I don't think it was mere coincidence that Pegasus or Yugi just happened to get a Millennium Item. Throughout the Battle City saga, while Marik can use the rod, he's not really entitled to the rod, as 'it knows it's true master.' Which makes me wonder who Marik was in the past, if he was in the past. But then again Ishizu could use the Millennium Necklace...but we see the problems of these items falling into the wrong hands. Yet Bakura seems to have a really good time finding his, and it works just fine for him. Hmm...See this is why I'm writing this fiction because as much as I like Yu-gi-oh, there are plot problems that need to be resolved.

And I'm going to have to put a duel in somewhere. Because somebody by now would have their duel disk out. And thanks for all the reviews. I'll try to keep updating as often as I can.

**Guardianship**

_I have watched this one for a long time,_ Shadi thought as he began his vigil on Seto Kaiba. The latter had finally returned to his home and remained close by his brother, in an effort to allay the fears of the younger Kaiba. The two of them were in the game room as Mokuba replayed the situation which had frightened him so. _Like our High Priest, this incarnation knows much suffering. Though not of his design, this person has, like his ancient counterpart, developed a self-reliance to handle any situation. _Shadi watched as Mokuba described the figure he saw.

"He was just like you Seto, just as tall and just as big," the young boy described, "but he was dressed very differently."

"Are you sure you got a good look at him?" Seto asked, as he stood arms-crossed.

"I saw him just like I can see you."

_If what the boy says is true, the manifestation of High Priest had to been triggered by something that I had perhaps overlooked. _Shadi paced around the room looking for something misplaced. He began searching around the area.

"Hmmph. This nonsense of a ghost has taken me away from my work." Although Seto could never be mad at his brother, his tone seems to emphasize disapproval.

"Big Brother! Don't you remember that story Darius told us at the orphanage?"

"Darius?"

"You remember don't you? The kid with the red hair and glasses who we all used to play kickball with?"

Seto closed his eyes and looked up. "That sounds familiar."

"Well he said that a person who could see ghosts was a special person. And that he had special powers."

"I fail to see where this is going, Mokuba," as Seto redirected his gaze to look him straight in the eye.

"Don't you wonder, I mean if you could see ghosts, wouldn't you want to look?" Mokuba's lip quivered. "I mean, if I could see ghosts, then maybe I could see Mom and Dad..." His big brother was quiet. "...and then when we were all alone all those times, that all I'd do is look and then they'd be right there. Then it wouldn't have been so bad." Mokuba's eyes were getting all watery.

"Mokuba...," Seto crouched and hugged his little brother, who had begun to cry. "It's all right, Mokuba." He patted his sibling on the back. "I will always be here."

Shadi watched this with strange fascination. This kind of event only happened on rare occasions. _The High Priest was a most compassionate man, though few could tell from his demeanor._

"But what if you're not?" Mokuba sobbed. "It's not like before. You're never around. And even if you are here, it's still like you're not." He clutched at his brother's white overcoat.

Seto was breathless. "I know, I know. But things are different now. I'm running Kaiba Corp. and am trying to keep it together. Every new invention, every new idea has to be developed as quickly as it can, so we can remain number one. The reputation, _my reputation_, is always on the line, and I have to deliver the best. Because I only want the best." He let go of Mokuba and gestured to the entire game room. "I work hard so that we could have all this and more. Especially since we had nothing. We were nothing."

Mokuba wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands. "But what if you're gone? I'd trade all of Kaiba Corp just to get you back. We don't need everything, just each other."

Seto had no reply. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but was cut short when there was knock at the door. "Enter."

The white tuxedo butler Patterson stepped in, a tray with a cell-phone was held in his hands. "I'm sorry to disturb you Master Kaiba, but you have call from Headquarters. They say it's urgent."

_The interaction between Master and Servant, _Shadi observed._ There is an aura of respect and fear._

"This should only be a moment Mokuba," Kaiba said as he answered the phone. "Yes. Uh-huh. It did what? For how long?" He glanced at his brother. "Yes. I understand. Put the entire R&D department on it if you have to. What's that?" He cupped his exposed ear and held the phone closer. "Are you sure? You've run a background check?" he whispered. "Then my call my lawyers. They won't like being disturbed a second time, but that can't be helped. No one messes with Kaiba Corp. like that." He turned his back on Mokuba. "Yes. Of course. I'll be down shortly." He ended his call. "Thank you Patterson. Please bring the car around." He turned to face his sibling, as Patterson exited. "A situation is developing. You know I would stay here..."

Mokuba just stared at him. "You're leaving me again." He noticed the bags under his brother's eyes. "You need rest."

"I know. I know. But they need me down there."

"...I understand." Mokuba just slumped on the ground.

Kaiba was silent for a moment. "There is something that I need you to do for me."

"What's that?" the dejected reply came.

"Make me a list of things I should do on my upcoming two week vacation." He smiled.

"Really Seto?" Mokuba jumped up at once.

"Really. As soon as this problem is resolved, it will be you, me, and whatever's on that list." He paused as he remembered the time of the year it was. "But you'll still have to attend to your studies. I'll have to provide a tutor for you."

"Or you could teach me Seto!"

"Well if it's on the list..."

Patterson knocked before entering. "The car is waiting out front."

"I'll be back in a little while. I promise." Seto Kaiba then took his leave.

Shadi followed this potential vessel. He watched as Kaiba exited his manor and entered his awaiting limo. Shadi took a seat opposite so he could clearly gaze into Kaiba's stern face. _Many times, when I saw the High Priest upset, he used to look at all his options. Then he would do everything in his power to solve his problem._

Kaiba touched a panel to his right and hit one of a number of buttons. "Roland." A small vidscreen rose right where Shadi was sitting. It flickered on and the image of one of Kaiba's most trusted assistants appeared. The mustached, sun-glasses wearing saluted.

"Mr. Kaiba."

"Has Security made any moves against this threat, this rogue engineer?"

"We have taken no action against his person, but have retrieved all copies of his outgoing communications. We are prepared to put the entire complex in lockdown, awaiting your order."

"Take no such action. I don't want to arouse his suspicion _yet_." Kaiba pondered for a moment. "Detain him when his shift is over, preferably from someone like his supervisor.Say that I _personally_ wish to see him. Prepare a report of those communications. Have extra security posted in sensitive areas. There may be others spies that we don't know about. So have security check any package leaving the building."

"Understood. Roland out." The vidscreen returned to its position back in the opposite seating.

Though the image of Kaiba Corp. Tower was shinning brightly in the afternoon sun, the limo drove to nearly the outskirts of the city. Here the vehicle passed through the security check point before driving up to the front of the building. Seto Kaiba got out and strode into the building. Roland was standing there with another of Kaiba's security forces. Roland handed him a tightly bound stack of papers. "The communications, sir."

"Take me to Section 12. I want inspect this discovery before I deal with this breach." The trio marched deeper into the complex. Kaiba began skimming his report.

Shadi passed easily through the number of walls and people as he followed Kaiba go through several key passageways. _All of his employees are awed by his presence. They all look up to him as if their very survival depends on it. Perhaps it does. Though much has changed in five thousand years, one thing remains: the strong must protect and provide for the weak. Unconsciously Seto Kaiba maintains the principles that the High Priest imposed on himself. But is that enough?_ Shadi glanced at the Millennium Rod. _If the stories from Ishizu are true, and the host of the Pharaoh believes, then why do _I_ still doubt?_

A slightly balding, slightly overweight man approached Kaiba. "Sir, it's an honor to finally meet you." Beads of sweat appeared on the man's forehead. "I knew that once you heard of our achievement that you would come. If you come with me, I can show you the blueprints..." he stuttered.

The CEO cut him off. "Show me the test room. All other documents can be given to me later."

The engineer was taken aback. "Of course sir. This way, please." A small crowd of fellow workers encircled the entourage. The lead engineer babbled and stuttered. "We've been hard at work, and with the success of the duel disk technology, and your report of a superior virtual reality technology inspired us, well we worked around the clock and only knew it was a matter of time before...." The group reached a table where three metallic headbands were laid. The engineer handed one to Kaiba. "If you please."

The device was two half-semicircle metal bands attached by rather taut ribbons. Kaiba made sure that the device had enough slack before placing it around his head. He made sure that the headband was snug as he watched Roland and the lead engineer both put one on.

"Now the excitement begins." The engineer issued quiet orders to his associates, before punching in a coded sequence on a keylock. An audible click and release was heard as a door opened. The three headband wearers walked into a rather gray room. Gray all around. "Start up the program!"

Before Kaiba's eyes, the entire grey room dissolved and in its place was the landscape of a white beach somewhere on the equator. He felt the warm sun shinning burning down on him, causing him to sweat. The roar of the ocean was distinctly heard as the waves lapped the sand. "Impressive," was all he could say.

"Touch the sand," the engineer suggested.

Small, gritty particles fell from his hand as he scooped some up. It felt like finely grained salt in his hands. His feet felt a dampness, and Seto realized that he was standing too close to the water's edge. "This feels so real..."

The engineer smiled. "Mr. Roland, would you please run to the other end of the beach." Roland checked to confirm with Kaiba before he ran off into the distance.

"But the room...it was only...." One could tell he was trying to imagine the room's walls and dimensions. But without any reference points, he had no idea where one wall began or ended.

"We've come a long way sir." But as he spoke parts of the beach scene were flickering and before anyone could do anything, the entire scene collapsed back into the gray room they all were in before. Roland was no farther apart from the rest of them than he had been before he stepped into the room. Yet he was panting as if he had run a great distance.

"I don't understand, Mr. Kaiba. I could feel my body moving. I felt like I had run a mile at least," the security agent told him.

"No longer will people be bound into small cramp pods Mr. CEO to experience the wonders of your VR technology. People will be free to move about and exercise their bodies as we exercise their minds." The engineer did fall silent for a moment. "Though as you can see, we can only create the illusion for a short period of time. The energy required to power the projectors is off the scale. But imagine it Mr. Kaiba. No longer will people have to travel all across the globe to take a vacation. We could have entire buildings dedicated to sending people wherever they wanted to go. If the technology progresses, we could even have these 'holo-rooms' inside people's houses. Kaiba Corp. would make billions."

Seto Kaiba was silent, his eyes resting. Both his underlings looked towards him with concern. But they were quieted when Kaiba opened his eyes. "Yes, I can see it clearly. I'm assigning you to head this project. You will report to my office every week to submit status reports." He began removing his headband, and the others followed suit. "Congratulations, Mr...."

"Stevens, sir," he replied as they all exited.

"Well congratulations Mr. Stevens. You've earned my trust. I expect your best." Kaiba glanced at Roland who only nodded. "Now if you'll excuse me."

_If this is what it takes to earn Seto Kaiba's trust,_ Shadi thought,_ then what happens to those who break his trust?_ He didn't have to wait long to find out. Kaiba and Roland both walked to an elevator, proceeded up two flights, and met with two men. Both were dressed stylishly, though one wore sunglasses similar to Roland. They discussed matters with the CEO. The young man paused a moment outside a door, collected himself, and entered. A young white collared man sat inside smiled as he shook Kaiba's hand. Shadi watched as the two engaged in small talk and then watched as Kaiba's fury came to full force. A verbal barrage exploded at the accused spy. A full hour passed as Shadi observed the symptoms of the accused: marked sweating, growing paleness, shaking, and a general cowering away. The CEO however had just started and began to pick up steam. When the entire ordeal was finished, Kaiba let his assistants handle the broken man, who seemed to have lost his mind and will. _Loyalty, the chief virtue of the High Priest. Practice it and be protected. Disobey and the endure the consequences. Yet the High Priest broke that very virtue in opposing the Pharaoh. Why? Was it usurpation as many of us concluded? Or was it something else?_

Shadi watched as the Kaiba returned to his limo, as everything was cast in a purple hue. He noticed the young man showed signs of heavy fatigue, the deepening of his bags under his eyes, the slumping of his shoulders. There was a listless in his breathing. As the car arrived, Shadi watched as Kaiba summoned enough strength to walk into his home unaided. He dismissed his servants and walked up the stairs, his hand firmly attached to the banister. He quietly opened the door to Mokuba's room and found the young boy already asleep in bed. The light of the room allowed him to see the list he had told the boy to compose. He chuckled at a few suggestions before placing it back on the desk. Quietly shutting the door, he walked to the other side of the mansion and retired to his chambers. Undressing, Kaiba put on his night clothes and retired to much needed slumber upon this four posted bed.

Shadi walked in from the shadows he had been occupying. In his hands lay the Millennium Ankh. _The only way to confirm my last few doubts of the High Priest is to enter the mind of Seto Kaiba himself._ He stood before the sleeping man, placed the Ankh right over his forehead, and turned the key.


	5. Dead Memories

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes:** I have no idea where this is going anymore. And I'm not sure I like this chapter. But that's only because I have no idea where this is going.

**Dead Memories **

Shadi had entered into a dark room full of hanging paintings. Though many of these pictures were on the walls relatively close to him, a few were hanging from the ceiling. Each of the pictures were translucent causing a semi-transparent labyrinth to form within. Light came with each of the pictures, as if they were self-illuminated. But many of them were considerably brighter than the others, which seemed to depended on the vividness of the painting, Shadi observed. The only other noticeable item of interest was that the pictures were all moving. Each frame contained some movie reflection from Kaiba's life playing itself out.

Shadi walked forward, trying to avoid coming into contact with any of the pieces. _If I am to discover the truth of my inquiries, I will have to dig deeper than this. These seem only to be surface memories. Some of the events I have seen today are here. _The robed man tried to avoid the framed picture displaying the violent outburst of Kaiba at his industrial spy. _Who knows what I may alter through my presence?_ Speaking too soon, Shadi collided with one of these paintings.

"Not only do I find your story so completely unbelievable, but to accuse me of being some incarnation of a priest in Egypt is equally ridiculous!" Shadi found himself in Seto's body as he was chewing out Yugi Moto. "To spread your tales is one thing, but to plant delusions in my brother's head that I'm dead..."

"But Kaiba, I didn't..." Yugi pleaded.

"Did I say you could speak Yugi? No! To think that you and your friends had the nerve to see me. And then poor Mokuba! I still haven't convinced him that I'm actually still among the living! He keeps crying ghost and crying to himself, when I am right in front of him. This is not amusing and I do not find his joke of yours even remotely funny! I personally will see to it that you, your friends, and this game shop be torn piece by piece and my lawyers will drain you dry for this slander!"

Shadi thankfully fell out of the memory. He shuddered as he felt the energy draining from his body; each breath labored. _His rage! If he is the incarnation of the High Priest, then where does this rage come from?_ He shakily got up to his feet, glad to have gotten out of that before it really turned ugly.

A door lay in the distance. It stood alone in the dark, apart from the moving façade. Shadi saw that the door was well-polished and inviting. He braced himself for the unexpected as he opened the door.

He was standing on the deck of a small ship. The Egyptian could feel the rocking of the surface. The sun was illuminating the entire ocean landscape. Kaiba was steering this boat from the comforts of a small chair with a steering wheel and whole panel of controls in front of him.

"You better get down. Everyone else is down below," he yelled to Shadi over the roar of the water. Shadi nodded his thanks but Kaiba's attention had returned to piloting his craft. Heading towards the rear, passing a small seating section, the Egyptian found a ladder and climbed down. Sliding open the glass door, he found himself in a small living area with connecting kitchen area. Seated all around him were doppelgangers of Kaiba, each conversing with one another. Three were sitting on the sofa, while two were seated at the counter, and one was in the kitchen. Though it was unnerving seeing so many clones of the identical person, Shadi knew that they were simply different aspects of the one personality evident from their conversation of self-inflated rhetoric.

Shadi felt a tug from his Millennium Ankh, pulling him slightly forward. Ignoring the carbon copies, he tried to make his way from one end of the deck to the other. None of them moved to get out of his way, so actually bypassing them proved to be difficult. But it wasn't as if they were barring his way either. Passing an indoor steering section, Shadi descended into the sleeping quarters of this small vessel. To his right, a massive bed was tucked against the wall. To his left two other sleeping quarters along with a bathroom. But the Ankh seemed to pull him towards the right. Pass the bed was what appeared to be a trapdoor with an old rusted handle. He pulled it up and open.

Small graven steps appeared. The air was rank with decayed earth. A torch was lit but the light it gave paled with the darkness within. The robed Egyptian had little choice. He took the light and began walking down. Hours passed with no end in sight. How far did Shadi walk? It did not matter, for all he wanted was to keep going. In time, the stairs gave way to a small cavern. An image was craved on the front wall.

"White Dragon!" Shadi cried out. The infamous creature gazed out at all with its deadly gaze. _A sign!_ An altar stood before the image of the dragon with incense sticks. There was nothing else in sight so Shadi was slightly befuddled. _Should I?_ He walked to the simple altar and lit some incense and uttered a short prayer.

A great roar was heard around, a terrible echoing that reverberated in Shadi's ears. The melting of the rock image did little to comfort the visitor as a real dragon stood directly before him. The gaping maw of the beast opened in another roar allowing full inspection of its deadly teeth. The cavern was breaking apart as the dragon began moving all about. The nostrils of the beast smelled prey and the unmistakable blue eyes of the dragon gazed in Shadi's direction.

_I have no defenses against such a fortification! This was a mental defense that wasn't supposed to be broken._ Watching the claws of the beast clomping forward, Shadi feared that this would be the end.

Sunlight was seen however and both man and beast sensed this. The white dragon, as if knowing that it shouldn't kill the unexpected intruder, turned around, stretched its wings, and flew off into the distance. Shadi breathed a sigh of relief. _What have I uncovered here?_ A great hubbub of people was heard coming from a city composed of brown abode buildings. _What memory lies buried here?_

As Shadi walked among the people, he discerned that his own clothing did not seem out of place. Many of the people wore white robes to reflect the sun's heat, though some of the men went without shirts. Brown was the color of the poor. From his own memory, the city appeared to be Heliopolis or even Memphis as a great temple complex resided on the far end of town, close to the river.

_What does this mean? Is this the proof that I've been waiting for? How can I deny what I've seen?_ A throng of soldiers, armed with spears, marched past him. They were hurrying towards the temple as well. A palanquin, a carriage carried by four strong men, was being used for someone of importance. Scores of men followed as well. Many of the city's inhabitants stopped and stared, but few dared to tag along. Shadi, hoping that these events could not affect him, ran after the procession.

A slight incline of stairs rose elevating the temple from ground level. Mammoth pillars stood forward where pictographic inscriptions were carved, that only the priests and scribes could read. The detachment of soldiers stood here forming a loose parameter. The palanquin was lowered. Out came, dressed in his finest purple ceremonial dress, the High Priest of Egypt. The resemblance to Seto Kaiba was unmistakable, even underneath the the ornate headgear. Shadi was not astonished by now, but it did leave him dismayed that he was last to notice.

"Have you dispatched messengers to the Pharaoh?" Kaiba's predecessor asked an attendant coming out of the temple.

The man bowed his head. "Not yet, your eminence."

"And why not?"

"We wanted you to confirm the gods will in this latest prediction."

The High Priest grudgingly acknowledged. "My reputation would be tarnished if this did turn out to be a false prediction." He was escorted inside the temple building. Shadi naturally followed him inside.

The air was cool inside. The sound of lapping water was heard flowing from the various pools within. There was some local fauna being tended by the virginal priestesses who greeted the High Priest, whom he just brushed off. Entering the main hall, he rushed to his quarters to purify himself before meeting the gods. Washing himself three times over, and then anointing his body with holy oils, the High Priest deemed himself ready.

Guards were placed before the inner sanctum of the temple, who moved aside to allow the most pious official to enter. A small chamber was his entire domain, his office. The High Priest knew that whatever happened here was between him and his Pharaoh. Soaring in this small space were the gods of Egypt who stood encircling in the form of statues: Anubis, the Jackal-headed god of the underworld; Thoth, with his crane's head full of wisdom; Ra, the bearer and overseer of the sun; and Osiris, the pale-green one whom all Pharaohs wished to become in the afterlife. The walls were covered in writings and dipictions of the gods benevolence towards Egypt. The High Priest stood in the center of them all, made offerings of incense and settled himself down into a self-induced trance. Within the hour, he had an answer to his questions.

"Inform the Pharaoh. Trouble's brewing."


	6. Departed Daemon

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes:** Like all great authors, I'm prolonging the suspense. We'll get back to Egypt shortly, after I do some research. Here's that duel I alluded to earlier, because it just ain't Yu-gi-oh without them playing the card game. _Always_ playing the card game... Anyways I'm indebted to my reviewers who read this story faster than I expect them to.

**Departed Daemon**

Shadi had undeniable proof of the connection between the High Priest and his incarnation as Seto Kaiba. Although torn between watching the unraveling mystery memory and returning to the outside world before anyone discovered his presence, he knew that it was his job to return the Millennium Items and nothing else. He could not let this knowledge of what he was discovered to anyone, the burden his alone. He gazed at the Millennium Ankh, knowing that soon he would have to give it up to its rightful owner, like he had already done for the Scales. He allowed the talisman to activate its magic returning Shadi to his corporal body.

_The fate of the Millennium Rod now lies in the hands of this sleeping young man. Whatever the threads of destiny are, they are now bound between master and object._ Tucking the object into Kaiba's hands, and arranging it so that the rod and hand lay over his heart, Shadi took his leave and vanished into the shadows.

Meanwhile,

Bakura of the Ring was closing fast upon Kaiba's compound. _I will not be denied the rod!_ he thought as he made his way in the cold night air. One of the pointers of the Millennium Rings pointed sharply to the left and Bakura turned into the alleyway. He had been hunting long into the night. _How dare an interloper encroach on my assured prize. I must make sure that I am not so easily detected for my next pilfering._ Now he was out with a vengeance to claim all of the mystical items as they were passed into the hands of the unknowing and ignorant.

_The only one that lies unclaimed are the Scales._ Bakura held the Ring as if it were a compass, waiting for it to lead him on somewhere. The night air was stagnant and chill. _The Rod will go back to the High Priest, whether he likes it or not and the Necklace will return to the Ishtar family. That fool woman did not realize that you cannot predict the future of someone who holds a Millennium Item. And the Puzzle,_ Bakura crudely smiled,_ will be dealt with._ He stopped to catch his breath.

"What is this?" he asked as he watched two of his Ring's pointers point in two opposite directions.

The sound of one person clapping was audible. Bakura's eyes widened as he saw what appeared to be a Rare-Hunter. A female Rare-Hunter, whose hood was down, revealing a head of furious red hair, and a pair of green eyes, approached. "Well done Tomb raider, well done!"

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you?" The thief's tone showed distrust for young women.

"Someone who needs your services." She licked her lips. "Or rather someone who needs the Millennium Ring."

Bakura chuckled. "Many have tried taking this ring, and have paid for their attempts."

"I only wish to negotiate, but since you seem unwilling..." she reached under her robes...

...and brought forth the Millennium Scales. "...I challenge you to a Shadow Game!" A shroud of black darkness engulfed the two.

Bakura smirked. "I've survived countless Shadow Games." He readied his duel disk on his arm. "You shall be easy prey. Name your stakes."

"Simple," her blithe voice chimed. "The winner claims a Millennium Item." Her duel disk was at the ready, as she tucked the scales in her belt.

A trademark manically laughter rang out. "You really are a rank novice. What are the stakes of the Shadow Game, you fool!"

A sincere smile appeared on the Rare-Huntress' face. "You'll find out soon enough," she beamed. "Draw." Both duel disks read four thousand life-points.

The white-haired duelist drew five cards along with an additional one for going first. "I place two cards face down, and summon Ancient Brain in attack mode (1000/700)." The image of a large, pulsating brain emerged from the ground. A pastel green faced covered with a red beard was attached to the brain, with small purple wings flexing themselves from the creature's small body. The monster twirled a small rod at the opponent, ready for attack. "End turn."

The Rare-Huntress drew. "I set four cards face down and set a monster face down as well." Four cards emerged in a neat row, each about the size of a person, while one card was set horizontally in front of them. "Your turn," the woman stated.

Bakura slid one card into his hand. "I play the magic card Polymerization to fuse my Ancient Brain with Tainted Wisdom, to summon Skull Knight (2650/2250)." A whirling nexus of the two cards surrounded his side of the field. A point pierced the nexus' veil and slid open a slash to part the way for a heavily armored solider wielding a heavy sword to emerged. True to the card's name, his upper armor and shield were both designed with a deformed, expanded, white skull creating a matching set. "Attack her face down card!" The toughened warrior hacked the card into bits.

The face down card was revealed to be a Morphing Jar. "You've activated my creature's ability. We each discard our hand and draw five new cards." The Rare-Huntress slid one card into her card graveyard slot before drawing five new cards. She grinned as she watched Bakura scowling as he discarded his hand and also drew five cards. "I place one card in defense mode. And now I play this card, Card Destruction!"

"Accursed woman!" Bakura hissed as he again discarded his hand and drew five new cards.

The woman only smiled as she did the same. "I activate one of my facedown cards: Monster Reborn. Bring to the field, Wingweaver (2750/2400)." The silhouette of a feminine angel appeared, wearing only a golden silk dress intertwining itself around her body. The only other difference between this creature and a normal angel was the additional two pairs of wings sprouted from her back. "Destroy his monster." The winged fairy flew across the field and slammed her elbow right at the Skull Knight's chest, causing the warrior to fall backwards and scatter into holographic pieces.

Bakura's life-point counter reduced itself by one hundred points. But what concerned him most was the fact that part of his memory was being emblazoned on a disclosing bas-relief that emerged from behind him. It began listing general information about Bakura: His name, address, phone number, and etc. "What is this?" he asked.

"The shadows are doing their work. I like to learn various things from my opponents. It makes their passing into the shadows much more appropriate." The Rare-Huntress stared at Bakura. "But don't worry dear. You're not really gone as long as I'm around," she said as part of his face was superimposed over her face. "Your move."

The bearer of the Millennium Ring stared at his cards. _I can't afford to attack right now. Her one monster is too strong to attack directly, and she'll probably make me discard again, _he thought. "I place these two cards face down, and set this monster in defense mode." He watched the additional cards take their place near his feet. _I'm going to have to stall._

"My move." The scarlet haired vixen paused to look at her cards. "I set another monster face down, and end my turn."

The image of a good-hearted seraph, one half in light, the other in darkness, was the card that Bakura drew to his hand. He smiled. _I'll sacrifice her monster for one of my own. _"I play this card, Change of Heart."

"Not if you can't get pass this, Magical Drain" A trap card sprung up on her side of the field. The image of a vampire using its wings to ensnare an innocent solider while drawing blood was seen. "You must discard an additional magic card or have your card be negated."

A snarl escaped Bakura's throat as he threw out another magic card. But he watched as the Rare-Huntress' Wingweaver came over to his side of the field. "I sacrifice these two monsters to summon the Decomposing Cadaver (2450/1000)." A skin-melting undead monster appeared, shambling forward. Strings of bodily organs trailed behind leaving bloody marks on the pavement. "Attack!" The perversion of the sleeping dead shambled its way across the field and brought its arm downward on one of the facedown monsters. The card scattered.

A wave of murky mist spread to Bakura's side of the field causing him to cough and wheeze, while losing five hundred life-points. "Aw you had to get sick from my Giant Germ. Don't worry, it's rather contagious," the Rare-Huntress laughed as two more appeared on her side. She watched as the shadows inscribed more information about Bakura on his tablet. "Ah, so you know where the location of the Millennium Puzzle is, one Yugi Moto, hmm? He thinks you're his friend. How very interesting." More of Bakura's body asserted itself over her lithe frame.

"Not as interesting as this. The special effect of my Decomposing Cadaver: whenever I lose life-points, my opponent loses twice the amount," Bakura barked. "I will finally know who I am dealing with." Watching her life-point counter decreased and hearing her screech, the Tomb-raider learned much. Foremost her name. "Nadia," he hissed. As the shadows inscribed their tablet for her, Bakura felt that information coming from a force more reliable: herself. _The shadows seemed to be providing a telepathic link_, he discovered. Born in Europe as a normal educated girl, she had obtained the Millennium Scales during her stay in Alexandria as part of a summer abroad archeological internship. Learning that she had the sacred item Marik's forces had accosted her once they tracked her down. But she had manipulated Marik's wishes by unbalancing his reason, and fueling his desire to be pharaoh courtesy of her own Millennium Item. But there was something else, something that the shadows almost wanted to tell Bakura.

Regaining her footing the Rare-Huntress grimaced. "You've done well, thief," Nadia grinned, "but it ends now. I sacrifice my three monsters to summon my Egyptian Demon Card, Ammemet the Devourer!"

"Egyptian what?!" Bakura cried out. But his voice was drowned out by the sound of the wind howling. He was being pulled forward, sucked into something huge. Giant jaws opened and shut, hinged, snapping. His Decomposing Cadaver was crushed in the great mouth, a dismembered arm caught between teeth. Bakura tried to avert his fate, his arms in a futile gesture of protection and screamed.

The dark robed woman walked forward to claim her prize, her fragile white fingers held the ring at an angle, so that all the pointers were slanted, chiming against itself. _Soon, Justice will be done, _the flamed haired woman thought. She walked on, holding one prize in her hand and keeping her second prize, the accumulated knowledge of one Bakura, in her mind.

Meanwhile,

Yugi Moto instantly awoke with a sweat and shivered. He stared out the window in his room. The pharaoh, who never slept, noticed his sudden arousal asked what was wrong. "Something's terribly wrong," was the reply.


	7. Waking Revelation

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes:** Sorry for the late update. School and real life interfered. And Halloween. A lot of candy will be eaten tonight. Anyways as I said before this is completely divorced from whatever happens later in the Yu-gi-oh series because I'm lazy and on dialup so I can't read all the manga that takes place after Battle city. I'm not sure if I'm going to use the Egyptian names, although it is a pain to keep referring to the High Priest as the High Priest. And I'm not entirely sure if all Millennium Items all come with their own Yamis. Pegasus didn't have one, and neither did Ishizu. Shadi is questionable. But we'll see if I make Kaiba get one of these spirit people or not. Currently I'm leaning towards not as I don't think Kaiba's open-minded enough to accept one. Anyways I hope this chapter makes up for my MIA period. I'll try to keep updating fairly regularly. (Reviews make me feel special and want to write. Reminds me that I'm not only doing this for myself, but for others too.)

* * *

**Waking Revelation**

Although Mokuba was not surprised by his brother's absence in the morning routine, he was expecting some sort of statement from him regarding the impromptu vacation that Seto insisted was coming up. Querying the staff turned up nothing of consequence either, only hearing that the elder Kaiba had come home very late and went to bed immediately afterwards. Mokuba figured that Seto would eventually draw up plans and reveal them to him after he returned from school. Leaving Patterson in charge of the mansion, Mokuba proceeded to be chauffeured to school in high hopes of spending quality time with his big brother.

White uniformed Patterson, knowing full well that the master Kaiba was resting, declared that entire wing of the mansion off-limits to every servant. Previously Seto, in one of his late night stupors, had been awaked by the activities of the cleaning staff and had _sharply _reprimanded Patterson on the need of his sleep. The incident had never been repeated. So no one could notice what was going on in the Master's bedchambers.

Even though Seto Kaiba slept and most of his mind was lulled into unconsciousness, parts of his consciousness were half-aware of what was going on within his dream. Like Shadi, these constructs could only record the data being received, but unlike the wandering intruder they could also manipulate the data to better fit the dream scenario. So in essence, Kaiba was remembering and forgetting his life as the High Priest as illusions and memories merged together.

So the unraveling continued...

* * *

"Your move, Pharaoh." 

"By the gods of Egypt, I won't lose this match," the young ruler stated.

"The gods don't favor you, they favor me." There were some voices of assent.

"For your insolence, take this!" A clatter of sticks fell to the ground. "Aha!" The stunned silence spoke for all present as they watched the planned maneuver.

"That's not possible!" the High Priest uttered.

"I'm afraid it is. And I believe that's game!" The Pharaoh arose from the seated table and basked in the applause of the general public, having yet again won another game of Mehen. He then walked over and shook hands with his defeated foe, smiling all the while. The High Priest accepted it, still wondering how he could have lost yet another match.

"I still don't know how you do it," he told the pharaoh. "The serpent should have swallowed you whole."

"Oh it's not that hard to avoid. Just know when to make the right move." The two watched as the audience at the royal courtyard began to disperse. The sun was not yet overhead, but the two retired into the main hall. "Tell me my friend, what brings you all the way to the capital? I would have thought that the High Priest would have his own matters to attend to." A young servant brought the two men drinks as they made their way to the throne room.

Making sure no one was within listening distance, "The Prophetess was right," the High Priest stated.

The Pharaoh's eyes widened. "The Millennium Necklace does work... so there's no helping it."

"Not according to the gods, my liege." The two entered the throne room. They passed two tripods of standing torches which kept the room warm. An open oval skylight lay right in the center of the room causing an interchange of air to circulate inside. Beneath it, carved in the foundation, was a sacred circle with strange glyphs and writings revolving around it. The throne, however, was raised and seated behind the open expanse. A mural was hung behind it, depicting the three metamorphosis of absolute divinity: Ra the sun god high in the sky; the human pharaoh who ruled all mankind; and Osiris wrapped in white in the dark underworld.

Scribes were rushing to the Pharaoh, handing out various scrolls. "I didn't want to bring war to our people."

"It cannot be helped. There is no alternative."

"There is always an alternative!" His voice echoed in the room, causing glances from the guards and servants. "Forgive me my friend. I just do not know whether...nevermind. Egypt cannot stand divided." The Pharaoh took his throne and set his drink down, upon which he was being fanned by followers.

"My liege, there is also another matter..."

"Something else?"

"Sire..., it is the right of succession. You have yet to produce an heir and with this upstart claiming to be your half-brother...,"

"A claim that has yet to be verified..."

"...The rite of Pharaoh would be endangered. The dynasty dies if you fall in combat."

"Then I will have to make sure that simply doesn't happen." He noticed the scowl on the priest's face. "Have faith my friend. You'll see." He began skimming some of the scrolls, mouthing the words.

The High Priest stood upright. "I have enough faith." He took a mouthful from his drink. "There is one more issue to bring up."

The Pharaoh didn't bother to look up. "Regarding?"

"There are reports along the desert of sorcerers wielding forbidden magic."

"Has anyone seen these...sorcerers? Or their monsters?"

The High Priest hesitated. "I've seen the bodies."

The Pharaoh stopped looking at his scroll and was silent. The High Priest could only fathom what was going on in his mind. "This is too suspicious, too convenient. It's almost as if it were planned...No. I must deal with the immediate threat first. If I allow myself to become distracted with phantoms." He turned to look the High Priest in the eyes. "You must investigate. I authorize you to use whatever force you deem necessary. Seek out these rogue wizards and make sure they do not trouble us again. You may take three scrolls worth of the holy codex, if you wish."

"The scrolls crafted from animal hide?"

"Certainly. You'll have access to our best preserved secrets. As old as Egypt itself. I know you won't let them out of your hands," the Pharaoh said as he cast his friend an inquisitive look.

"Of course, my liege." The High Priest however did not move, merely taking another drink of water.

"Is that all?"

_Should I tell him about the slave girl? _He looked at the Pharaoh. _I cannot. I will have to deal with the matter myself. _"That is all."

The ruler nodded. "You are dismissed."

* * *

_To summon fiends from the realm of shadows is one thing,_ the High Priest thought, _but to let them loose upon the innocent? What would these wizards want?_ He marched with two guards accompanying him. Though the temple archives were full of various spells and evocations for calling various denizens from the other world, the rarest and highly prized were secured within the household of the Pharaohs. Passing clearance, a young scribe gave the High Priest three large scrolls; they were the length of his upper body alone. The parchment was hard, durable. _Which animal was sacrificed to create this? _

One of the guards took down a lit torch and led the way into the earth. The air was colder as the trio walked single file down flights of stairs. At the bottom, a sentry unlocked the barred door._ Ye Gods! This is going to take forever..._

The High Priest stared out into a sea of monsters carvings. Each creature had been depicted in stunning detail, as if they had been posing in real life. A faint layer of cold sweat bathed his body, as the High Priest approached one of the tablets. Big lips with a mouth full of daggers of teeth were the first noticeable feature of this monster. Eyes that were off-set from the face of the monster stared down. It was plump and undersized and had antennae; an altogether strange combination of features that did not appear remotely natural. Below the picture were written instructions on how to summon this 'Electric Lizard' and how to bind it as a familiar creature and call it forth.

Paging through his three scrolls, The High Priest realized that there would be enough room to inscribe five, six monsters at most. _It will have to do. I'll have to locate the strongest of monsters if I'm to beat these rebels. I better get started._

After hours of searching and browsing and recording, one creature stood out from all the rest. _Why do I keep coming back to this creature?_ An image of a large noble dragon was engraved on the stone tablet before him. Although the High Priest had never seen such a creature before, he felt an affinity towards it, as if the two were bonded together. He reached out and traced the beast's profile with his hands: the great head, its long neck, wings to both sides, and clawed feet emerging from a massive body. A quiet deadly dignity surrounded it, as if beckoning any and all challenges. As the High Priest watched on, he was totally oblivious of the golden glow coming from his object of office: the Millennium Rod.

"_Yugi_."

The High Priest, who was not unaccustomed to hearing voices, for the spirit world spoke to him, did not find anyone remotely nearby. His escort was quietly chatting away with the lone sentry at the far end of the room. Dazed but not overly concerned, the official returned to the task at hand. He couldn't concentrate, however. He closed his eyes in an attempt to bring focus.

"..._Prepare yourself for ultimate annihilation. Now I create a duel monster without peer with attack force so great that no monster can stand against it! I create the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon."_

The High Priest clutched at his head._ That voice! It sounds familiar. It sounds like my own! But where's it coming from._ The voice echoed within his head.

"_Attack now Ultimate Dragon. Neutron Blast!" The roar of a great beast was heard, thundering the silence like a fallen pottery._

"What is this?!" The High Priest raised his head to the carved bas-relief before him. He felt a burning sensation from his side. He turned, looking. The Millennium Rod was glowing, brighter than he had ever seen it done before. A sense of vertigo was starting to build up. "Guards! Guards!" His vision blurred.

_A wall of brown spots appeared against the sky. A figure was standing behind them. He couldn't tell who it was, but it seemed familiar. "No I will not, cannot, be defeated!" That voice again. But who was it? Soon my Ultimate Dragon will be weak enough for Yugi to destroy outright. I've got to keep trying, it's my only hope. What thoughts are these?Who's thinking these thoughts? "Go Ultimate Dragon!"_

The High Priest was starting to hyperventilate. He could hear his breathing, ragged, quick. Had he fallen? He couldn't feel his body. But there were a rush of footsteps. "Your eminence! Your eminence!" His eyes were starting to see something clearer.

"_You should have never challenged me Kaiba." Could it be? Was that the Pharaoh? "This is it Kaiba, prepare to meet your demise!" Who's Kaiba? That hair. Those eyes. It _is_ the Pharaoh. But what's he doing?_

"Get him upstairs now!"

"We need a healer now!"

"Don't worry your eminence; you're going to be fine." Who was it that was speaking? There was some kind of deep grey, splotch, which was more melted than anything. The Pharaoh was standing behind some foreign warrior, wielding a sword.

The High Priest felt himself slipping. And the voices were merging, making it difficult between what was real, and what was false.

"_It can't end this way...I can't let that happen...I'm going to force your hand."_

"That's it; just try to keep a hold on my hand. The Pharaoh's best healers are coming. Don't worry about a thing. Just try to concentrate. We'll rescue you from this."

"_I must win to rescue Mokuba. The difference is that I'm willing to risk anything to do it." There was determination in that voice. I feel like I'm staring at the Pharaoh with a powerful emotion. Anger. Jealousy, perhaps? "Which means I have the advantage over you, for in my case there is nothing holding me back." _

"Don't hold back now. Just keep coughing. Don't try to keep it all inside. Remove his garb. Cut it off if you have to. Strike with..."

"_Strike now if you dare, otherwise next turn I'll take you down...Surrender Yugi, that is unless you have the courage..."_

"Courage, my Pharaoh. The High Priest is strong willed. It doesn't appear like he's going to go without a fight. There are a few things that need to be done..."

_The Pharaoh's collapsed. Is that tears coming down his face? "...done what needed to be done...but he was too weak."_

"_What do you have Seto Kaiba? What do you have at the end of the day? Tell me. Tell me!" Who is this woman that's yelling at me? Why is she yelling at me?_

"Just tell me. I don't care what it takes. I can't leave him like this. Just tell me what he needs."

"_I have all that I need."_

"I have all that I need," the High Priest echoed, before passing out. The Pharaoh and his onlookers were all stunned.

* * *

Seto Kaiba bolted upright in his bed. He was breathing heavily and his nightshirt clung to him damp with sweat._ What's going on? What kind of dream was that? How long had I been sleeping?_ He heard something clatter to the ground. Turning to look, he saw the Millennium Rod staring right back at him, looking quite out of the ordinary. A loud primal cry of anger, frustration, and perplexity came boiling out of Kaiba's mouth which shook the very foundations of his house. 


	8. Exchanging Acquaintances

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes:** Sorry for the really late update. I didn't fall off the face of the world, yet. After the elections I got rather depressed. And recently I've been fighting off the flu for several days now. I'm not exactly better. Anyways, I'm splitting this next chapter up because I think it feels rushed and incomplete. (Technically it is, but let's not split hairs...) But I couldn't let several more days pass before posting another update. Then it'd be just a few more days which turn into months and then years...Here's hoping I get better soon.

I've updated this chapter so it's complete. New material at the end. It wasn't long enough on its own for a new chapter.

* * *

**Exchanging Acquaintances**

"Hey Yuge, have you been getting any sleep? You look totally trashed," Tristan asked.

Yugi weakly chuckled. "Well I have been sleeping. But something's been always waking me up."

"Don't tell me it's Kaiba again?" Tea asked.

He smiled. "Actually no. I haven't seen Kaiba since our little _talk_." He stopped smiling however. "Seriously, I've been getting some strange feelings lately. As if there's something not quite right." He tugged the chain holding his Millennium Puzzle. "I just hope whatever it is doesn't have to involve me saving the world again."

"I'll say. I could stand to do without one crazy madman after another for a _long_ while," Tea said.

"Talking about strange, check that out," Tristan said as he pointed to a very unusual sight.

Everyone turned to look. "Is that Joey? But who's he talking to?" Tea asked. It was clearly a girl from the standard female uniform.

"I don't know but he should definitely bring her over," Tristan grinned before yelling, "Hey Joey!"

Joey turned as he heard his name called. He looked back and spoke to his companion, a fiery redhead who was then heard laughing, before the two came to the rest of the group. "Hey guys."

"Don't 'hey guys' us. Who's your friend?" Tristan asked inquisitively.

"Guys this is Nadia. She's an exchange student that's going to be staying here for a while. Nadia this is Yugi, Tea, and Tristan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Your friend Joey is very funny," she chimed in her foreign accent.

Everyone inwardly groaned as the two found some seats. No one in their right mind thought Joey's humor was worth laughing at. Tristan broke the silence. "Yeah Joey keeps us laughing alright." He slid over to Joey. "Dude, where did you find her?" he whispered.

"She was just standing there, looking all lost and confused. How could I not help her?" Joey whispered back, grinning.

"So Nadia, what brings you to Domino?" Tea asked the newcomer.

The ethereal girl perked up. "Well you guys have this really awesome archaeological program down at University of Domino. I figured I might as well check it out as I finish up my high school credits."

"So you want to be an archaeologist?" Tea followed up.

"Yeah! There's just something about rediscovering ancient cultures and figuring out how people lived in old times."

"That's cool. Say Yuge, your Grandpa's friends with that Professor Hawkins, right? Maybe he could put in a good word for Nadia here?" Joey suggested.

"Yeah I guess he could. He'd have to meet you first. It's not everyday that Grandpa does things for strangers," he stated.

She looked over at Yugi. "I'm sure that that could be arranged." Her green eyes widened. "Say, you're not _the_ Yugi Moto, are you? Winner of the Battle City Finals?" Nadia turned to look at Joey. "You never told me that you were friends with the world's foremost duelist?

"Hey you never said anything about dueling."

"Well you never asked," Nadia smirked. "That's the other reason why I came to Domino."

"Well for your information you're talking to a Battle City finalist," Joey boasted.

"You were a finalist as well?"

"Yeah. Well I don't mean to brag, but I did almost beat Kaiba for third place."

"No way! _The_ Seto Kaiba?"

"Yeah. I woulda won too if it weren't for his Blue Eyes White Dragons. Without them, he's a piece of cake."

"I wouldn't go that far...," Yugi started.

"No it's true. I could whup old moneybags with one hand behind my duel disk."

"Dude, you need that other hand to actually duel. How else are you going to put your cards on it?" Tristan asked, trying to deflate his ego just a tiny bit.

"That's besides the point. It doesn't matter anyways since Kaiba's stopped dueling. I bet he realized that how close he came to losing to Joey Wheeler, Duelist Extraordinaire!" Everyone rolled their eyes at this. "Anyways Nadia, you and me should duel. I promise I'll go easy on you."

"Sure, okay." The fiery redhead looked back at the shorter duelist. "But I wouldn't mind dueling against the number one ranked duelist as well. If he had the time."

"I'm sure Yugi wouldn't mind, would ya Yuge?"

"Not at all. It will make a nice friendly duel." Yugi smiled.

"Then it's settled. Shoot, I forgot to tell you guys. My sister Serenity is coming over to visit. She said she wanted to hang out with us when she comes in this afternoon."

"Serenity's coming? Why didn't you say so?" asked Tristan who seemed way too eager.

Joey shrugged. "Guess it just slipped my mind. So it's okay with you guys? I figure we could see a movie or something?"

"Sure Joey," Yugi said.

"You'll know I'll be there," Tristan affirmed.

"Finally some more estrogen in this group. I'll be glad to have someone to talk to about things _other_ than Duel Monsters," Tea beamed.

"Nadia, you're welcome to join us too if you want?" Joey invited, not wanting to seem rude.

She took a moment to decide. "Sure. I'd love to."

"Great! Then we'll all meet in front of the school and head off from there."

'_Yugi,' the Pharaoh called out._

'_What is it?' the teen asked his alter-ego._

'_There's something about that girl...'_

'_You mean Nadia?'_

'_I don't trust her. Something about her...I just don't trust her.'_

'_Aren't you getting a little paranoid? I mean, we just met her.' Yugi racked his mind for a moment. 'Wait do you think she has anything to anything I felt last night?'_

'_It's possible.'_

'_But she doesn't seem particularly evil or anything.'_

'_The greatest evils don't attract attention. Just...be on your guard,' the spirit suggested. _

"Yugi, aren't you coming?"

He snapped back to the real world, noticing it was time for the next class. "Hey wait up guys."

* * *

Later, 

A very recognizable limo was seen in the parking lot of Domino High. Yugi and the gang couldn't help but stare at the familiar vehicle. "Man he's even got little flags on that thing," Tristan pointing out the small banners displaying the Kaiba Corp logo.

"Well what else is going to distinguish it from all the other dark black limos out there?" Tea rhetorically asked.

"Funny, I didn't see moneybags all day." Joey stated.

"Maybe you should get your eyes checked," an icy voice suggested. "But then again dogs do have to rely on their sense of smell to notice anything," Kaiba informed Joey as he approached, two bodyguards to each side.

"Kaiba," Joey growled. "Just had to show up and ruin my perfect day."

Kaiba however didn't pay any more attention to the blonde duelist. His eyes narrowed on Yugi however. "Yugi, you mind explaining how this object once _again_ wound its way into my mansion?" he asked as he pulled out the Millennium Rod and held it right in front of Yugi's eyes.

"I...uh...I'm not sure," he stammered. He unconsciously merged with the Pharaoh in an effort to hide his fear of Kaiba. "I really don't know."

"You mean to tell me that despite handing it back to you just a few days ago, and you being nowhere near my compound, myself intentionally avoiding you as well, this thing magically appears inside my house?"

"Well it was taken from me...," Yugi began.

Kaiba closed his eyes. His fist was visibly shaking. "Look Yugi, what can I do to get rid of this thing? And what can I do to get some sleep?"

"You can start by learning to accept the truth: that you were in a previous life..." the Pharaoh began.

"Enough with the hocus-pocus nonsense Yugi! These _lies_ you keep telling me..."

"...Are exactly what you need to hear!" The Pharaoh exclaimed. "These symptoms will not go away until you begin to accept them, that you are accessing knowledge that normal people are not entitled to," he explained. "You are the incarnation of a high priest of Egypt and once you start remembering things from your ancient past, the sooner I'll be able to help you understand what you are experiencing."

"It's going to get worse?"

"Yes, as long as you keep rejecting things you can't explain, as long as you refuse to accept that there are forces greater than yourself watching over you, then yes Kaiba, things will get a lot worse for you until you come to grips with your past life."

Kaiba opened his eyes and glared at Yugi. "What ridiculous garbage...," he started.

A collective gasp was heard when the Millennium Rod glowed its ancient hue, as if warning its holder.

"My arm! What is going on?" His eyes widened in shock as he realized he couldn't move.

"Don't fight it Kaiba! The Millennium Rod is revealing something to you!" Yugi also felt something different. The chain around his neck felt heavier. "My Puzzle!" he shouted. It, too, seemed to be reacting to something.

Kaiba however was grimacing, his head pounding; it felt like it was cracking open. Every nerve seemed to be firing; a stimulus overload was coming right at his brain. He noticed that his socks were on, his heartbeat had speed up, gooseflesh was manifesting itself, the expanding and contracting of his chest in breathing,. These items once noticed, normally went away in time. Not so for Kaiba, as his attention continued to monitor and update itself on the above and more: his eyes were blinking, his clothing hung upon his frame, he was uneven on his feet, his stomach was empty, and so on and on.

"Mr. Kaiba!" his paid attendants cried and tried to keep him steady on his feet.

His vision blurred between far and near; an artificial creation of Picasso. He was hearing sounds but one of Kaiba's constant thought kept reverberating within his mind: _This isn't possible! This just isn't possible!_ It was growing dark all around him. Not the darkness of closing one's own eyes but a heavy, psychic blackness of his mind just shutting down. Shutting all the way down. Although Kaiba wanted to cry out, make sense of what was going on, nothing could be heard, felt. Kaiba even doubted he even existed. Silence ruled all.

Who knows how long he existed there? Who knew what thoughts transversed through his mind? Was it hours or was it seconds? But a light did shine forth so overpowering that there was nothing left to do but embrace it. What he found in that light destroyed all his preconceived ideas, beliefs and prejudices.

He found himself. No, he found an Egyptian High Priest, who was equally as stunned and in the same state of mystification as he.

* * *

Although everyone was watching the event that was occurring before their very eyes, and moving to help the fallen CEO, one person was trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Slyly taking the Millennium Ring from her shoulder bag, Nadia held it down upon her side. _Ring,_ she mentally voiced, _show me the source of this disturbance._ The Ring, though it had just one master, obeyed this request. All the pointers aimed towards the east. _Ring show me in exact detail this intrusion. _The energies from the Ring sharpened and Nadia's mental eye rushed, zoomed in onto a train. Making its way towards Domino, the Ring refocused and closed in on a young woman: A petite young woman with auburn hair who was writing in a small notebook. No other information was forthcoming. Nadia cursed and dropped her link with the Ring, quickly stashing it away before anyone noticed.

But someone did notice.

"_That woman will learn the penalties for taking things from a thief...,"_ a voice declared. A small metallic eyeball lay in the palm of the speaker's hand. _"I did not want to use this yet, but it seems I will have to, especially to stay in the game." _The hand twisted the sphere till it was properly aligned, then jammed it into one his eye socket. A sharp cry of pain rang out as blood poured down his face, but it was silenced through his sheer will. Tasting his vital bodily fluid as it flowed into his mouth, the shadow dweller smiled._ "I will make you pay. I will make you suffer...,"_ he vowed. And his laughter echoed in the ether.

* * *

Yugi thought he heard someone laughing, but he shut it out from his mind. He had other worries to deal with._ Did I push him too hard? He had to, at least, be willing to consider the truth._ Although he couldn't help Kaiba as his bodyguards were attending to their master and making sure no one got near, he still felt responsible, as if he should help. "Kaiba," he whispered.

"Yugi," Tea said as she reached out for his hand. "This isn't your fault," she added as if knowing his very thoughts.

"I don't know...I mean, Kaiba's always been stubborn...," His eyes turned to hers, then to Joey's and Tristan's. Although Tea showed signs of concern, the two guys were looking rather indifferent. Or maybe uncomfortable.

"Don't sweat it Yuge. You didn't do anything wrong and well...," Tristan started.

"...It's his own fault for not listening to you," Joey finished. The two of them were looking all around not looking at Kaiba, deliberating on their own feelings for the CEO.

"He's waking!" One of the bodyguards shouted. The gang crowded around. The prone figure was helped to a sitting position. Yugi knelt in-front of Kaiba.

A quiet chuckle emerged from Kaiba. "_Pharaoh! How I've waited for this moment!_" His eyes opened, revealing a burning hollow look.

"Kaiba?"

"Who is Kaiba? What's in a name? I am the High Priest and the one destined to rule Egypt, now and forever," Kaiba smirked.

"Uh guys, this is starting to get really freaky," Tea voiced, noticing an unseen change around Seto Kaiba. It felt colder and darker, as if the sun had gone down.

He turned to her. "Don't worry your head, _woman_." His head turned back to Yugi as he rose to his feet. "This is only the beginning. Pharaoh, I'd be concerned with making preparations. You escaped me once before, but now you won't be so lucky. Time is on my side." The young CEO turned away from the group of friends.

"Kaiba! Don't turn your back on us!" Joey shouted without thinking. "Don't you think Yugi wants to talk to you or something?" He briefly looked at Yugi. "You do, right?"

The tall duelist stopped. "I'm not interested in anything _he _says." He turned and shoved the Millennium Rod in all their faces. _"I have all that I need!"_ With that he headed towards his limo, leaving Yugi and the gang with shattered hopes and wild fears.


	9. Siblings’ Distress

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes:** Make sure you read the last chapter again. I added more material to make it complete chapter. I also hope that I'm not becoming too predictable. I'm trying to keep things interesting. Oh and does anyone know where I can find uncommon names? One of the things I hate is that I never think of good names for my characters. I want them all to have unique and original names since I too have a unique name myself. And does anyone know where I can get pictures of Serenity and of that stone tablet of the Pharaoh and the High Priest dueling? I have one but I want one that shows it in complete detail because it showed what cards they each had. Speaking of cards, I need ideas of cards or of decks too. This is one of the aspects of the show that I have a love/hate relationship with because I'm not really good with card games. I'm going to put my email address on my profile so you can email me. That said, here's the next chapter. And yes, I have some kind of plot in mind. I'm not just making this up as I go along. yeah right.

I also hope I'm getting everyone down right. I have had problems writing female characters before. And I know Joey isn't this dumb, I think.

**

* * *

**

**Siblings' Distress**

"Big brother!" a familiar voice called out. Joey turned in time before his sister collided into him with a big hug. The embrace squeezed the breath out of him which he expressed to her with muted sounds of choking. "Sorry," Serenity replied after realizing her mistake.

"I think you crushed some ribs," Joey complained.

Tea stepped forward. "Tristan, be a gentleman and help Serenity with her bags." Tristan willingly obliged.

"Bags?!" Joey exclaimed, immediately recovering from his injury. "I thought this was supposed to be a visit?"

Serenity blushed. "Well it was, but Mom said that I needed to experience some city life for a while. She said and I quote: a young woman needs to know firsthand the possibilities and dangers that are available to her in the modern world."

"What? She actually said dat?" He growled. "I can't go to school and take care of my sister at the same time."

"You won't have to. Mom called one of her city friends and they're going to put me up one of their apartments they own."

It took a moment for Joey to realize something important had been imparted. "Wait, what? You're getting your own apartment?" His mind was reeling at the dangerous scenarios his sister might face. Subconsciously he also knew he, the older sibling, was being shafted by his mother.

Serenity brushed some of her hair out of her face. "Only for a month. If things work out, I could start paying rent."

"With what money?" Joey asked as Tristan returned with two bags and a small carry-on.

"Well I do have some savings. And I do have a few job interviews lined up."

Tea's ears perked. "Well look at that. Little Miss Wheeler is going to out do her older brother."

Serenity shyly looked down at her shoes. "Well, I did have time to do some preparing."

"I bet you planned this visit for your own benefit," Tea politely chided. "But what about school?"

"Yeah. What about school?" Joey echoed.

At this, Serenity could only blush harder. "Well... I started taking a few of the advanced classes...and well I've done enough course work to graduate early. I only have a few classes left but I could easily do them at a community college." Hearing this, Joey's jaw dropped.

Tea beamed however. "I'm impressed girl! Obviously you got the brains of the family."

"Yeah. And maybe she'll give Kaiba a run for his money," Tristan joked.

After that Joey just stopped listening. _I can't believe it,_ he thought._ My own sister is going to have her own place and maybe her own job and she's almost through with high school! This is completely unfair! How did this happen?_ Joey only heard mumbling as he walked his sister and their friends to where Yugi was sitting. They had left him with Nadia because she was so adamant about spending some time talking with the world famous duelist. When he and everyone else left him, Yugi still seemed despondent over Kaiba. Nadia apparently worked some magic because Yugi was smiling and laughing when the group came nearer into view.

The two were still sitting in the middle section of row seating; seats that were connected horizontally and typically found in most train stations and airports. "So that's when Joey and Tristan both popped out of their gym lockers armed with whipped cream and water balloons and they managed to clobber each other. It was the best display of a prank gone horribly wrong," Yugi laughed.

"Aww Yuge, why'd you have to tell that story...," Joey groaned as he turned several colors of embarrassment.

Yugi brushed off some of the tears that came from laughing too hard. "I'm sorry Joey," he apologized. "We just started talking and then school came up and then somehow it ended up about the boys' locker room." At this, all the girls giggled.

"Hey, you should tell her the time that we managed to convince Joey that the head cheerleader had a secret crush on him and how he brought two dozen roses to her bedroom," Tristan added.

"And what about that time when Mr. Robinson asked him to do a report on Frankenstein the book and Joey thought he meant the movie." Tea said further embarrassing her friend.

Joey, who was already shades of red and purple, cried out, "Enough already! Geez I know I'm not the smartest one here..."

"Or the strongest or handsomest," Tristan stated.

Ignoring Tristan, he continued, "But I'm always there when one of my friends needs me. Old reliable, dat's what they call me."

"We call you other things too," Tea playfully added.

Nadia just lightheartedly hit Joey in the shoulder. "Don't worry Joey, I still like you. Especially now that you are just human. " She chuckled as Joey breathed a sigh of relief. "So this is your little sister?" She asked as her green eyes locked on to the smaller Wheeler.

"Hi. I'm Serenity," the auburn-hairedgirl stated.

"Nadia," the exchange student replied in her accent. "Strange you two don't look like siblings."

"Yeah we get that a lot. Everyone thinks Joey's some kind of pervert being seen with a girl my age." Serenity explained. "Even after we tell them that we're related they still look at Joey strangely."

"Well it's not like I've done anything wrong," he said. "But let's forget all dat! It's time to have some fun!"

"What do you have in mind?" Yugi asked.

"Well we could see that movie, what's it called? Oh yeah. _The Lost Age of Angkor._ It's suppose to be really good and has this killer battle scene that's just epic," Joey stated dreamingly.

"I heard it was over three hours long. And I can't stay out that long," Tea objected.

Joey scratched his chin. "Well if that's the case, we could always go down to the mall. There's some CD's I want to pick up and I'm sure you girls can find something down there."

"Just as long as I get to spend time with my favorite brother of mine," Serenity said.

Yugi got up and stretched his limbs. "Sounds like a plan."

"Would you excuse me a moment?" Nadia asked. "I need to use the lavatory."

Joey was puzzled. "Okay, but what do you to mix chemicals for?" He was promptly hit on the head.

"Lavatory, not laboratory. She needs to use the bathroom," Tristan explained.

"Ohhh...," Joey said.

"Sorry, my accent...," Nadia began.

"Don't worry about it. I thought I saw one over there." Tea said. "Come on Serenity, you probably need to go to." With that the three women left the guys.

Nadia eyedSerenity. _This woman is a threat to the High Priest? _she thought to herself. _But she seems so innocent, so carefree. I will have to watch this one carefully. _

* * *

Meanwhile in a different part of town, 

To say that Mokuba was overjoyed when he saw his brother waiting for him after school would be an obvious understatement. "Big brother!" he cried out in joy. But his joy seemed short-lived.

"Get inside." It was an order more than anything. The limo took off immediately afterwards.

"Where are we going Seto?" Mokuba tentatively asked. _Something seems different about him_, he noticed.

"I need to stop by headquarters to pick up something. Then we're heading to Lab #54."

_Lab #54? But that's where the duel computer is. _"Why are we going there?"

"I need to test something." As always that was the end of the discussion.

During the quiet ride, Mokuba thought he saw something glimmering form the inside of Seto's overcoat. He couldn't make it out, but he couldn't help but think that it seemed oddly familiar. He wanted to ask his brother a number of questions, and while he was used to Seto's remoteness, it seemed that he was more wrapped up in himself more than usual. Kaiba Corp. Tower loomed ever closer.

"I won't be long," Seto informed both Mokuba and the driver. Within ten minutes, he returned with an all too-familiar metallic briefcase in his hands.

"Alright Seto! You're going to duel again?"

Kaiba was still as stony faced as ever. "Yes Mokuba. I realized what a waste it was not using these superior cards. I've learned they might hold much more than what I originally thought," he said as he fastened his duel disk to his arm.

"Cool. So you're going to go to duel tournaments during your vacation?"

"Not exactly."

Mokuba watched as Seto reassembled his deck with an assortment of new and old cards. Then, without realizing it, he saw what had caught his eyes before. _Seto has the Millennium Rod! _The artifact was neatly tucked on the inside of Seto's belt. _I thought he said he was going to melt it down to gold bars if he ever saw it again. He must have talked with Yugi about it._ Mokuba then saw something that he never thought would ever occur. "Seto, you haven't put in your Blue-Eyes in your deck."

"I don't need them," he replied bluntly.

Now Mokuba knew something was definitely wrong. "But Seto, you always play your Blue-Eyes White Dragons. They're your favorite cards."

"Precisely Mokuba. Everyone knows that I play these cards," Seto explained. "The moment I step into any arena everyone waits to see the most fearsome dragon appear. My opponents adjust their decks accordingly." Kaiba grinned, showing a smile that was quite disturbing. "Now imagine their surprise when I don't play them. In the back of their minds they'll wonder what kind of strategy I have in store for them. Then they will give into their fear that I might have found a card stronger than my Blue-Eyes. Then I will have my advantage because they won't know what I'll throw at them. My foes won't know what to think." His smile grew and coupled with the look in his eyes made Mokuba feel very nervous.

"That's a really good plan," Mokuba said meekly.

Seto continued as if he hadn't heard his brother. "Then imagine their fear grow when I play cards no one has ever seen. Cards that I will have designed and created. With my own personal supply of unique and rare cards, no one will be able to stop me."

Mokuba felt chills. "But isn't that cheating?" he asked.

Seto Kaiba stared at his brother like he was a necrophiliac. "Was it cheating when Pegasus did it to me?! But with him it was stupid toon cards. I won't be so asinine." Again he smiled. "Besides, with him out of the picture, I am free to have my revenge and buy up Industrial Illusions. I already have spies in the company." He chuckled to himself. "Soon I will be the most powerful duelist ever, whether anyone likes it or not."

Mokuba stared at the three Blue-Eyes. An idea occurred to him. "Can I make a deck from whatever cards you don't use?" he boldly asked.

"Suit yourself," Seto said as he handed his briefcase to his brother.

_I don't know what's wrong with Seto._ Mokuba held the three Blue-Eyes in his hands._ But I know that he will want these back when he's normal again._


	10. Into the Realm of Shadows

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yugioh.

**My notes:** This chapter took me forever to write. I'm still not sure whether I like it. (Probably because most of it is a duel) I've recently watched some of the non-dubbed episodes, and I couldn't believe the difference between what was aired in Japan and what we lowly Americans get. I'm sure that it somehow involves the FCC and what constitutes children's programming. But I can understand why many of you want to maintain what was established in the non-dubbed versions.

And no, I'm not deliberately trying to make this go on forever. But it does feel like I'm trying to write an entire season of Yugioh.

**

* * *

**

Into the Realm of Shadows

_What could he possibly want to test_, Mokuba thought as he loaded up the Duel computer program. _It's still based partially off Seto's old deck_, Mokuba thought as he typed in a series of commands,_ so it can't pose a threat to him now. Seto always makes sure he has the advantage. _"We're ready to begin," he voiced to his older brother. The younger Kaiba brother was safe within the command center, a place that was adjacent but not in direct area of the dueling arena.

"Begin the program," his brother replied. Seto's duel disk automatically displayed four thousand life points. Before him, a series of hisses of steam preceded the sliding opening of two massive doors moving away from each other. In its breach, a polished metallic surface emerged which had in its center a large round red eye. Five card slots were etched around the eye above it, plus an additional five more below. A computerized display of 4000 appeared at eye level.

_Let's just hope he knows what's he's getting into to,_ Mokuba thought as the Duel computer took the first round. Three face-down cards were displayed upon the upper hemisphere of card slots. Another card was displayed upon the bottom row. Holographic representations of cards emerged in front of Seto. "End turn," the Duel computer announced in its perfect monotone voice. Superimposed over the large red eye was two cards, the apparent number of cards in the computer's hand.

Kaiba wasted no time. He immediately summoned his Vorse Raider (1900/12000) in attack mode along with two hidden cards. An overly massively strong warrior wielding a heavy-headed spear appeared. This new monster was draped in studded armor and showed no signs of fear as it immediately attacked the face-down defense monster. The spear sliced through and a whimpering cry was silenced. A green wrinkled turtle who was suffering under a strange metal shell was revealed before it shattered. "UFO Turtle," the Duel computer announced. "Special ability: Able to summon any fire-monster with 1500 attack points or less from deck to field when sent to graveyard from battle." The holographic dust cleared, the Duel computer had an identical monster protecting its life points. Kaiba did not look amused as he ended his turn.

Without hesitation, the duel computer announced the summoning of Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) to the field and placed another card face down. A shaved-bald man appeared, half his face missing from his head. In his hands was a string of beads, a large rosary of extraordinary length, which the man brandished as if it were a whip. "Activating magic card: Axe of Despair. Increase attack points of monster by one thousand points." Now equipped with an excessively large axe, the ghost-hunter posed a greater threat than before. "Attacking," the machine calmly announced as the Kycoo rushed head long into battle, waving his axe dangerously.

"How naïve. I activate my trap, Ring of Destruction." A metal belt emerged from one of Seto's face-down cards and wrapped itself around the neck of the axe-wielding monster. The man's eyes bulged as the band began to choke, but before being allowed to pass out from lack of oxygen, the ring detonated causing chunks of flesh to be blown apart. Both duelists were struck by the forceful blast and the remains causing their life points to decrease by twenty-eight hundred. Mokuba was shocked to see the signs of a smile appear on his brother's face as he wiped away the holographic flesh from off his face.

The duel computer, impassive as ever, calmly activated one of its face-down cards. "Magic Card: Temporal Manipulation." The image of several pocket watch appeared; all of them were wavering back and forth. "Reverts condition of duelist to as they were before the turn took place. Duelist must discard entire hand. Opponent gains an additional turn." The pendulum-swinging watches increased their motion which clouded the Duel computer's side of the field. When they stopped, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer reappeared as did the duel computer's life points. "End turn."

_Man, the Duel Computer isn't pulling any punches,_ Mokuba thought as he looked at both life-point counters. He then looked towards his brother. _Seto may be down for the moment, but I'm sure he already has a plan._ He then recalled the look his brother had as he causally wiped off the blood from him._ I just hope that whatever Seto's thinking isn't going to make him anymore colder than he already is._

Seto Kaiba stared at the ruby red center of his electronic opponent before turning towards Mokuba. "See now what I've been denying myself," he yelled as he pulled out the Millennium Rod from the insides of his overcoat. Without any warning, Kaiba enshrouded the entire building into darkness and chaos.

Mokuba was stunned, without words._ This place. We shouldn't be here._ "Big brother, what are you doing?" he barely managed to ask.

"What I should have done a long time ago," was the reply. Seto Kaiba set a monster in defense mode along with two face-down cards before ending his turn. He did nothing for his second free turn except draw one more card.

_That's strange,_ Mokuba thought. _Seto would have usually attacked the weaker monster by now or increased his life points._ _What's he planning?_ He wondered this as the Duel computer began its turn. It used one of its face-down cards. "Magic card: Pot of Greed. Draw two cards." The holographic image of the gluttonous container appeared, its representation unmistakable. Two cards imposed themselves over the crimson eye. "Magic card: Graceful Charity. Draw three cards, discard two." A winged angel, garbed in simple clothes, descended from the heavens with a card in her hand. There was some shuffling, "Magic Card: Monster Reborn. Return monster from graveyard to field." With this, an all too-familiar roar was heard. A blast of light emerged from the ground, as a famous Blue-Eyes White Dragon clawed its way from the bowels of the earth. Its holler seemed pale and lessened over the field.

Seto Kaiba stood confidently before his own beast. His eyes did not seem to show any appreciation or signs of recognition. There was an apparently oddity which manifested itself as a quiet trembling closed fist however.

"Sacrifice two monsters to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon," the duel computer announced. The images of Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer and the UFO Turtle faded as a second Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared. Both stood on their hind legs, eager to find something to kill beneath their frontal claws. "Activate Magic Card: Cloned Reproduction. Allows cloning of monsters to fill remaining empty five monster zone limit. Clones cannot be used for sacrifice. Clones are removed in two turns." The image of a goggle-wearing scientist appeared with giant needles in both hands crisscrossed. Both needles were plunged into both Blue-Eyes before having three more appear along side them. It was clearly obvious as to which dragons were the original ones and which ones were copies.

"Holy crap! Five Blue-Eyes White Dragons?!" Mokuba exclaimed. It was a sight that was quite literally impossible. _There's no way for Seto to win. The duel computer has all its life points and has five deadly monsters on the field. _Mokuba watched as the five dragons began preparing their attacks.

Kaiba just stood there and was clearly grinning. "No mere machine will ever beat me. Reveal my trap card, Negate Attack." He waited until the Duel Computer ended its turn before turning to Mokuba. "Little brother, watch as I destroy this computer to pieces." He raised the Millennium Rod high, shouting, "By my divine might I will smash these false idols. I will bury the man I was and will usher in a new age for all mankind. Give me what I desire so that my will be done!" The shadows around him swirled around him, almost seemingly likesolid creatures. Kaiba snarled his lips into a smile. He raised his duel disk and drew.

"First I play Tremendous Fire. I inflict one thousand points of damage to my opponent and take five hundred myself." Three red-haired nymphs appeared on the field and began lighting everything on fire. Kaiba stood unfazed, though beads of sweat appeared, as a raging inferno was burning everything and covering everything in soot.

"Next I activate Numinous Healer, which allows me to recover one thousand life points." A winged angel, wearing a nurse's uniform, placed several band-aids over Kaiba's body. He of course showed no interest as the woman was overtly flirting with him.

"Now I flip-summon my Magician of Faith to reclaim my Tremendous Fire card back from the graveyard. I then replay my Tremendous Fire but I chain it to Magical Amplifier which allows me to double the effects of any magic card I choose." As if the inferno wasn't bad enough before, the three nymphs were walking fire-starters. Anywhere they walked pillars of fire arose spiraling out exponentially. By the time they were done, streaks of ashes covered the entire room. The Duel Computer's life-point display showed only one thousand. Seto grinned.

"And finally I play the Magic Card Side-Step. It allows any monster to gain the ability to attack life-points directly for one turn only. Go now my Vorse Raider and destroy that outdated machine!" Without so much hesitation the spear-carrying warrior leapt past the unnatural number of Blue-Eyes and smashed its spear right in the center of the Duel Computer. Without so much at a second glance, the round metallic eye shattered rendering the entire computer useless. The holograms dissolved. There was nothing but the sound of silence. "I've won. I will defeat anyone who dares oppose me. Now show me what I want!"

The shadows surrounded Seto Kaiba engulfing everything around him. It was so thick that Mokuba couldn't see anything. "Seto! Seto!" he yelled as he exited the command center and ran to his brother. But the more he ran, the harder it was to tell how far he was traveling. _I should have collided with him by now!_ Straining himself to the limit, Mokuba could only feel a coldness that was clinging to his bones. He also couldn't shake the thought that he was being watched. "Seto!" he yelled, but puzzled as to why it did not echo. All he saw was blackness. Mokuba looked behind him and found more blackness. _It's so dark. It's like I can't see my own hands. I can't even tell if my eyes are open or not._ He purposely shut his eyes. _Am I sleeping? Where are you big brother? I'm not afraid. Shouldn't be afraid. I've got to put on a brave face. I've got to find Seto!_

What felt like days passed. Mokuba was tired and hungry. His thoughts were made no sense. It wouldn't be long before he passed out from exhausted. But he still kept going. His body ached, his mind blank, and he had no idea where he was. At the end of his rope, Mokuba fell over in the darkness, not realizing even if he had fallen.

As if waiting for that very moment to occur, a white-haired young man emerged. He stops, crouches down upon the young Kaiba sibling, slings him over his back, and walks away. A very quiet chuckle was heard.

* * *

Meanwhile, in ancient Egypt…

The young Pharaoh looked on his wisest advisor who still lay comatose in bed. It had been days and everything was just a mess. The ruler had no idea what was going on within the confines of his country. All of his advisors had tried to get him to do something other than watch the very shallow breathing of the High Priest. _I can't keep going on like this, _he thought to himself. _If I don't do something soon, everyone will suffer. _He looked over at the prone figure lying in bed, showing no outward signs of stimulus. Closing his eyes briefly to collect himself, he heard one of the servants call out to him.

"Pharaoh," the voice said weakly.

Refusing to open his tired eyes, he Pharaoh queried, "Is it important? Can it wait?"

"It's…a very important matter." The voice was labored, as if the person didn't want to impose. "It's concerning… your future."

_My future? _the Pharaoh pondered. _The future was what you made of it. That's what the High Priest would say. Now look at him._ He opened his eyes, and was pleasantly surprised, letting out a small gasp.

"My liege," the High Priest called out, straining to keep himself upright. However he fell forward. The Pharaoh intervened quickly, prevented him from crashing down. "We have very little time."


	11. The Paradox

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Yugioh.

**My notes:** I'm going to have to start naming people from Ancient Egypt. I can't keep referring to people by their title and position. Yet at the same time I don't want to accept the 'accepted' names of Yami, Atem, or even Seth. But I think I'm going to have to use the term Yami soon. Honestly when I started this story, I didn't expect this kind of event to happen. But that's part of the fun of writing isn't it? In other news, I'll probably start working on a personal project of mine so this story might not be updated as often as it should. Not that I don't mind working on it, but I've got to be able to produce original works in time. Your reviews have encouraged me so much. I'd like to thank all of you who's bothered to read this little story. And is anyone excited to see 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'? They're amusing children's books and I'm curious as to how they'll transform three books of the series into one movie-length film. If I were still a teen, I'd so have a crush on the girl who plays Violet Baudelaire. Anyways on to the story.

**

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**

The Paradox

"My Pharaoh," the High Priest began, "the threat we face is far greater than we can possibly imagine." He took a mouthful of the warm broth, feeling its heat pass into his body, as he still laid in bed. "To understand it completely, you're going to have to take a leap of the imagination." He waited for the Pharaoh's acknowledgement before continuing. "Your reign as Pharaoh will not be for very long."

The Pharaoh's eyes widened. "I will be killed…?"

"No. If only it were that simple." The High Priest failed to notice the resentful look the Pharaoh gave him. "No, what you will suffer will be far worse." He pointed at the inverted pyramid around the Pharaoh's neck. "You will be sealed in there for five thousand years."

The Pharaoh looked at the clergyman like he had grown a third arm. "You're not serious, are you?"

An audible sigh was heard coming from the High Priest. _This is not going to be easy._ "My liege, as my body lay comatose in bed, my spirit left it taking me into the darkness. I was terrified at the time and I thought I would come into the house of Osiris and serve in the land beyond the sun. I was wrong." He fumbled around with the bowl of soup before continuing.

"I found another person there, looking as lost and confused as I was. But what I saw was something I did not expect." His voice was growing fainter. "I saw my own face." He closed his eyes remembering how they had looked at each other, not knowing, yet accepting each other.

"My own face, my own body, my own expressions. Everything was the same except for the clothing. I thought it was my double, and that I really had died and for reasons unknown I could not find my way to Osiris. But all that changed with the light, the beautiful light."

"The light?" the Pharaoh asked.

The High Priest nodded. "The light of understanding. It shattered the darkness and illuminated the surroundings. I was not in the otherworld, but in the Hall of Records. And there sat the god Thoth." _All around were scrolls and servants, papyrus and brushes, everything that would be needed to record history. To know everything. I must create a place like that. _The cleric became lost in thought.

The Pharaoh's voice broke him out of his mental revelry. "Go on."

The High Priest chided himself. _I am in the presence of the Pharaoh. I cannot afford to lose myself before him._ "The god explained that he had summoned two similar souls for a very important reason. We were to carry out his will and orders. For there was a problem."

_The crane-headed god had sat high upon a dais, as if he was the most beautiful thing in the world. He had looked at the High Priest so lovingly, as if Thoth knew that he had summoned a true disciple. But when he had looked at the other soul, it was hard to tell what emotion went through the god's mind._

"According to Thoth, the Hall of Records was precisely that, an archive of every action that occurs on Earth. All of the history that does occur, or will occur, is recorded and stored," the High Priest continued.

"But how does this involve me?" The tenor of the Pharaoh showed his impatience.

"Thoth said that there was an emptiness, a void of information that begins here and stretches for five thousand years. It was as if all of that history had been removed."

"An emptiness?"

"Thoth compared it to the back of one's head. You can turn your head back to look behind you," the High Priest said as he demonstrated, "But if you're facing only one direction for so long, you only believe what's in front of you. You forget what's behind you and thus when you do remember to turn around, you're surprised when there's nothing there _when there should be_."

The Pharaoh was obviously unimpressed. "That seems a little far-fetched."

"The gods speak in riddles, my liege," the High Priest reassured. "It gets worse, however. Apparently this emptiness all happens when an unnamed Pharaoh does not properly become one with Osiris. With the missing link in the trinity a loophole is established. The demons run loose, the dead do not normally die, and the gods do not receive proper worship. This cycles unnaturally, repeating itself, until the gods themselves are killed and the entire world is engulfed in darkness."

"How does Thoth know this?"

_This Pharaoh dare questions the gods? _"From his perspective, it has already happened and the gods have lost. From our perspective, it has yet to begin and can still change it."

"And you think the unnamed Pharaoh could be me?"

"It was a natural conclusion to make."

"This seems a bit hard to believe."

"It is. It was hard for my other self to believe as well." _No, my counterpart did not believe a word of it. How he ranted and raved. _The image of his counterpart throwing a fit in such a place, though on the one hand amusing, on the other very immature. _He only stopped only until Thoth showed him something that even I could not see. Perhaps it was for him alone._

The Pharaoh scratched his head. "Wait. How can we fight our destiny? If what you're telling me is true then the events of the future…"

"Things written in stone can crumble when enough effort is made. The future is whatever we make of it." The clergyman again took a drink from his broth.

"And if we create that dark future?"

"Then we tried our best." The High Priest heard the frustrated sigh that came from the Pharaoh.

"And if we change the future?"

"Then I don't know what happens." He tried to think of some comfort for him, concerned that the Pharaoh might feel over-pressured. "Don't think we are alone in this. The gods still watch over Egypt and we do have our future selves, the ones born five thousand years from now."_ If what I believe is true, then those visions I've had are memories I will come to possess. And if those are true…_

The Pharaoh had risen from his chair and was about to leave. One could easily see that he had a completely skeptical, incredulous, look on his face, and seemed only to be humoring his ill advisor.

"There is one more thing to add, Pharaoh."

He stopped at the doorway. "And that is?" he asked, irritated.

"We are destined to fight," the High Priest said completely deadpan.

The Pharaoh turned around, his eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"We will be forced to take arms against one another."

"You seem pretty calm about it." The Pharaoh crossed his arms.

"I admit, I am not overly fond of you and how you are ruling the kingdom. But I would never openly rebel against my Pharaoh unless I have a good reason to."

This was obviously a shock to the Pharaoh from the expression on his face. "Do you?" the Pharaoh asked as he again took his seat next to the bed.

"No, not at the moment. One may come up. It doesn't matter." The High Priest stared directly into the Pharaoh's eyes. "But know this: I will show you no mercy. I expect the same courtesy from you as well, Pharaoh."

"What?" the Pharaoh blinked in disbelief. "But this is madness. To even consider it…"

"If you are not able to strike down the enemy, no matter who it is, that might be the event which triggers this entire mess. I might be possessed, or coerced, or even acting on my own free will." The High Priest grabbed the Pharaoh's tunic, drawing him close. "But whatever happens, you must give it your all. Failure to do so may put the entire world into jeopardy."

The Pharaoh stared back, his face a mixture of emotions. "I see."

The High Priest let go. "We will need to create a rift between us. You must learn to become more independent and I must be able to gain more access to the kingdom's resources. I will personally inform you when I will revolt. This ploy will hopefully draw our mutual enemies out into the open and allow us to deal with them accordingly."

"Do you think it will work?"

The High Priest stared down at his empty bowl. "I don't know. I honestly don't know."

* * *

Later, 

When the sun had set and all was quiet, the High Priest was busily exiting his guest quarters. He had regained much of his strength back and he had had enough sleep. Although a guard was posted at his door, he had convinced the solider to allow him to go unescorted, innocently pointing to the Millennium Rod tucked in his belt. The palace gates would not be opened nor did the High Priest expect to leave the sanctity of the grounds.

He did, however, wished to go somewhere rather unexpected. He made his way, by torch light, to the palace kitchens. The cleric made sure he wasn't seen by any of the stirring servants as he made his way to the Scribes' quarters. He was still hoping that his best pupil was still up. He checked the each of the doors quietly before he found the one he wanted.

The room was bare save for a bed and a desk and candle. A young scribe was busy with his brush and scroll, copying something down. The High Priest quietly tapped the boy on his shoulder. "Master!" the young boy called out before his mouth was muffled by the High Priest. The High Priest motioned for silence before releasing his hand from the boy's mouth. He then, in a lovingly fashion, patted the boy's head._ My pupil really must get his hair shortened considerably, _he remarked to himself.

"Studying hard?" he asked as he set his torch upon the wall. The boy nodded. "Good. Are my things still packed and ready?" At this the boy shook his head. "That's something I'll have to do this evening. We will be leaving shortly after Ra's chariot appears on the horizon. You better get some sleep."

"But they've said you've taken ill!" the boy blurted, forgetting the High Priest's need for silence. "You've been in bed for days."

"Obviously I'm better now. I have a task to accomplish for the Pharaoh." The High Priest was mentally preparing a list of things to do to leave the palace without too much fanfare.

"She was worried about you," the young scribe said quietly.

This interrupted the cleric's train of thought. "What?"

"The slave girl. She wanted to see you but there were guards keeping watch over you."

The High Priest pondered this for a moment. "I'll have to see her tonight then." _I've got to make matters clear, one way or another._ He shook his head, wishing to ignore the upcoming predicament. "You should go to bed," he said changing the subject. He blew out the candle and waited until his young protégé climbed into bed. He took the torch and stood by the door.

"Don't upset her too much," the boy pleaded. "She cares for you, as much as I do."

"I know." He stepped outside. "Good night for now, brother," the High Priest said as he shut the door.


	12. Moving Forward

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Yugioh.

**My notes:** At the bottom will be my thoughts and explanations and a few possible spoilers. You've been forewarned. The title's tenative until I think of something better.

* * *

**Moving Forward**

_It wasn't supposed to be this way,_ the High Priest Sethos thought to himself. The camel he was riding on bayed, as if accenting the notion. Sethos straightened his head-dress, which did nothing to protect him from the heat of the desert sun. _The Pharaoh has a lot to learn…_

"Isn't this fun, Sethos?" his brother called out as he made his camel catch up to the lead camel.

"Life isn't all fun and games, Menkaura," the High Priest stated. He watched his younger brother teasing his own ride, causing the poor beast of burden to speed up to an unnatural gait. "Must you do that?" he asked his brother.

"Well it's not as though we're going anywhere fast for a while. Not with this caravan that you're in charge of." He turned to look at the large number of wagons, camels, horses along with the various staffers in charge of maintaining the beasts and cargo. The caravan stretched on to the horizon's edge, the trail end no where in visible sight.

Sethos watched as his brother run off on his camel, laughing the entire way. _The pharaoh's crafty, but not crafty enough,_ he thought to himself. He mused on the day's events, which did not go exactly as planned.

A little before daybreak, the High Priest was summoned before the Pharaoh and his ministers. A secret military movement had to be sent to the outer edges of Egypt's southwestern borders to ward off any invading nations that wanted to make use of the internal struggle for their own gain. The Pharaoh had ruled in his favor, expressing concern for possible rogue wizards in the area. However the Pharaoh also had expressed wishes that everything must be done in the shade, which ultimately meant that Sethos could not be seen with any armed soldiers. So hidden among the supplies and aid to the outlying villages, a full regiment of the Pharaoh's army also laid in wait, though they were to aid in the rebuilding and expansion projects. _While he's mastered the first rule of state politics, there is much more to learn. If the villagers knew how many warriors were here among us, they'd feel a lot less confident about the ruling Pharaoh._

Officially, the High Priest's arrival would be aimed at supervising the new temple construction in the region, thereby serving the future needs of these villages and maintaining political stability. Unofficially, his aims would be 'removing all viable threats' from the region. And of course, he would be testing the loyalty of the men, seeing which might possibly be convinced to serve another master.

"News travels slowly, doesn't it, your eminence?"

Sethos turned to look at the speaker. _That hair!_ he immediately remarked to himself. It was a dazzlingly white, the color of polished ivory, not the color of wrinkled old age and of wisdom. Seemingly as if rotating around the head, the hair swirled as if defying gravity, yet blending the tussled look of early mornings, which was remarkable considering the shortness of length. _Only one other person has that kind of hair and she's safely out of sight._

"It is considered impolite to stare," the stranger informed.

"Forgive me. It's just that…I've never seen…," the High Priest stated as his eyes wandered the rest of the figure, "…such an intriguing person before." The man riding a similar camel beside him seemed both a native and a foreigner. His dark tanned skin and matching sand tunic did not seem out of place. Yet the large dagger that hung around his neck seemed to be more ceremonial design than practical, the blade the very color of dark. Underneath one of his arms, he held a full sack of something _moving_.

The stranger's brown eyes locked to Sethos' deep blue. "I am… a traveler of sorts. I've come a very long way to see the High Priest."

"For what purpose?" Sethos asked as he arched an eyebrow.

The visitor smiled. "I've come to give a warning. Your designs won't work. There are just too many uncertainties."

_What sort of warning is this? _"What are you saying? Not even I know what I will do."

"As your desire grows, your vision dims. If you can forsake your longing, then you may be able to achieve the impossible."

_Meaningless doubletalk, _the Hight Priest thought as his anger was provoked. "Who are you? Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Seto," the reply came.

"Who?"

A grin. "Set."

"My name is…," the High Priest growled, but something too quick for his eyes to notice happened. "Sethos!" he finished or heard someone shout. The High Priest jolted, as if he was struck. When he came about, he found his brother face staring at him. "Menkaura.. .What happened to the rider that was riding along side me?"

"Honored brother, you've been talking to no one but yourself."

"Ra wishes to try his servants," he said quietly to himself. "Perhaps I haven't made a full recovery," Sethos told his brother. _Or maybe I'm slowlygoing insane._

* * *

Later,

When the caravan had encircled itself and established a small encampment for the night, the throng of traders and workers were all encircled around a great bonfire as a group of storytellers reenacted an old familiar tale. Over the roar of the fire, one could hear the laughter and cheers of the people captivated by the story. Sethos, whose tent wasn't too far from the commotion, decided it would be time to talk with a certain young slave girl.

He stepped out into the night air, turned and watched as his brother along with some other children on the trip imitate the fighting posture of beetles as part of the play. He scanned the audience looking for her unmistakable long hair and when he found her, she sitting near the edge trying to enjoy the entertainment yet her face showed signs of just putting on a brave face.

Ensuring the guards that he was going for a little stroll, the High Priest uttered an incantation rendering him invisible to all except those trained with transcendent vision. He moved quietly to her.

When the stood behind her, he made sure no one was around, before brushing aside some of her silver-white hair and whispering into her ear, "Come with me." She jerked with surprise, but Sethos' hand was on her shoulder, reducing the visible reaction. The young woman feigned a yawn and rose to leave; no one gave her the slightest glance, save for a young scribe who was an insider to all.

The two walked until they were clearly away from the caravan where only the camels, mules, and horses strayed. There Sethos dropped his spell and was immediately hugged by the young beauty in question. He didn't fight it; he just let his arms envelope around her, resting his chin upon her head. "Kisara," he whispered.

"Why do you torture me?!" the woman asked as she switched from and an affectionate embrace, to her pounding her small fist upon his chest.

"Beloved, you know the rules as well as I do. This liaison is forbidden to me," the High Priest explained, not even bothering to defend himself from such an attack. "I told you this last night."

"Yet you still come to me," Kisara said as she began to sob.

"As if I could stay away," Sethos whispered. She apparently didn't hear. "There's no other way," he continued. "If there was a loophole, I would have found it by now. We would be in broad daylight where all of Ra's children's can see. You would have the respect and dignity that you deserve. Not toiling away endlessly at your station."

"But I am a slave and I always will be!" Kisara exclaimed. Some of the camels turned to look. "And even if I were free, I would still be a slave. I would be a slave to you."

"Don't say that!" The High Priest cupped her mouth and made sure no one heard.

Kisara managed to keep her voice down and settle herself. "But it's true. I would pledge my entire life to serve you, now and forever. I would be honored to call you master."

No words came to Sethos' mind. He could only draw parallels between what Kisara was saying and what some of believers had uttered during their orchestrated contact with the Gods. "Believe me I don't like this anymore than you do." He stared into her eyes, the hue undetectable in the shadows. "There are rules that even I must obey! The Pharaoh and the people sees all, knows all. As do the gods. I cannot stray! If they knew that the High Priest of all of Egypt was intentionally breaking his vows,I would be stripped of my rank, publicly humiliated, and either executed or exiled."

She couldn't help but return the stare. But she turned away, staring into the darkness. "Then throw it away! We could run off. The lands of the Nubians are not far. Or we could charter a ship! Head into the sea…" The sound of sobbing reached his ears.

The High Priest hugged herin an attempt to muffle her noise, knowing these tears being shed were not only one-sided. "Shh…" he whispered. "I cannot leave my station. Not now. Not with Egypt herself divided. Enemies inside and out." His hands fumbled with her own, their fingers a knot of confusion. "The gods know this as well. They foretold…"

"Predictions shouldn't be trusted!" she almost shouted.

He was silent, knowing full well why she said what she said. _It was on the recommendation of a wandering soothsayer that her family sold her into slavery, that she would bring misfortune wherever she went. She has no faith.__I cannot blame her or tell her the rest._ "Darling…," he said as he held her trembling body. They were quiet for a time. Despondent with only holding one another, each longing more than that, yet neither of them would make any move.

_I knew this was going to happen,_ Sethos thought. _This is last night all over again. I wanted her to stay at the palace. There with the Pharaoh, she would be safe. _He stared at her body that snuggled against his own, half remembering the arguments they had thrown one another. _Out here, she's a distraction, a liability. If we are exposed...._The High Priest then remembered why he came out here in the first place.

"Kisara," he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders and moved her so they both were staring at each other. "I want you to remember something for me. I want you to remember back to when you weren't a slave. Can you do that for me?"

"It's been a long time," she started, her gaze averted from his.

"Try. Now can you recall your parents? Any siblings? Anything at all?"

She racked her brain for a moment. "I remember my father. It's all very muddy. I'm not smart like…"

"Doesn't matter," Sethos interjected. "What about the villagers? Your friends? Anything would help."

"Why? Why is this important? I don't remember anything except being a slave."

Sethos sighed. "Today I met a man…" he started. _At least I think I met someone._ He reached for strands of Kisara's silver hair. "He had the same kind of hair as you do. Shorter, of course. It was unnaturally white."

"I…I don't know." Kisara stammered, the realization sinking in. "My father was old. I thought everyone's else hair would change color or something."

The High Priest stopped to look up at the stars. "It's alright." _No auspicious omens tonight. Perhaps there is more trouble ahead._ "We should probably be getting back."

"Just a few more minutes," Kisara pleaded as he embraced again the only man who had ever shown her kindness. Sethos merely nodded.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Realm of Shadows,

Bakura, with half his face covered in dry blood, stood with his arms crossed, waiting._ What's keeping him? _As if on cue, a similar man came into view. Around his neck lay an ornate dagger, which only served to inflame Bakura's anger at his own missing trophy that should lay around his neck.

"Did I keep the prodigal son waiting long?" the newcomer asked, grinning, as he dropped a bag down upon the ground.

"If you could be punctual, we could easily move on to other important matters. Did you get them?" he asked as he eyed the sack.

"Do you think I would show my face if I didn't?" the other said as he brushed away strands of his own white hair. "We've been waiting for this moment for five-thousand years. One or two days won't hurt." Straight away a fist clocked him in the jaw, he spitting bloodied spit into the air.

"Fool!" Bakura yelled. "A lot can happen in just a few days time." He watched the other man, rub his jaw, before conceding the point. "Good. Now let us get this over with."

* * *

**My notes: **So with Finals out of the way I can continue to work on this piece uninterrupted. Now if I could only keep my imagination going. Anyways, some of you are wondering why I went against the canon and changed the name of the High Priest of Seto/Set/Seth to it to Sethos. Honestly I don't like the idea of people having the same name. I believe names to be a very important part of ourselves and each one makes us unique from the rest. Under that rubric, how could I possibly call the High Priest Seto and still believe in Seto Kaiba? They are two distinct, though similar, persons. It would be a disaster. I mean, look at how bad it is for Yugi and the Pharaoh in the dubbed versions. They're not fooling anyone.And there was no way I was going to name him Set/Seth, the evil Egyptian god (unless I had a good reason to, plotwise.) Besides, Sethos is techinically Egyptian, as its a variation onthe name Seti. According to my source, Sethos means prince or something. And this name is close enough to the canonical one variations. Anyways I'm sure no one will complain about me calling Sethos' brother Menkaura, the closest thing I could find to Mokuba. (Apparently the name ofa Pharaoh as well.) I'm still don't know what I'm going to call Yami/Atem. I guess I won't get to my possible spoiler yet as I'm tired and what to go to sleep. 


	13. Disturbing Thought

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My notes: **Yeah I'm an insomniac. Because the attention has been mainly Kaiba centered, in one form or another, I'm switching us back to everyone's favorite four-foot duelist. Because you know, it is called Yugi-oh, and not Kaiba-oh (though I'm sure many of you might want it that way.) Anyways I really liked that recent episode where they play with the idea that the Pharaoh could have been an evil king. Because we really don't know one way or another. I mean, from one perspective he could have been a good ruler. But from another, he could have been the most hated. Such is the nature of politics.

And I think I'm going to put up a website of some of my work. That is if I get around to doing it.

**

* * *

**

**Disturbing Thought**

"Yugi, is this the young girl you've been talking about?" Grandpa Moto asked as he inspected Nadia from head to toe. Though she was taller than the old man by at least two feet, she couldn't help but tinge a slight red, disturbed by the close assessment of the old man.

"Must you do that?" Teá asked.

"It's an evaluation of… uh character," he said as he took a prolonged stare at Nadia's chest. He was promptly hit by Teá, and immediately took a step back, grinning. "Well you seem to pass. So what exactly should I say when I write Professor Hawkins?"

Everyone watched as the old man went behind the countertop. "If you can get him to write me a Letter of Recommendation, I'm sure that would turn a few heads in my direction," Nadia stated, dusting off her uniform.

"You know," Grandpa started as he scratched his beard, "I haven't talked to Arthur in quite some time. Maybe I should give him a call." His eyes wondered around for a bit. "Hey you! Put that down!"

Joey quickly turned to face them, hands in the air. "I was only looking!"

"Of course you were." He turned to Yugi. "Will you watch over the shop? I think I will make that call."

Nadia was speechless. "You're going to call Professor Hawkins now?"

"Well yes. I'll even let you talk with him. If you'll excuse me a moment." Grandpa left the room.

"Wow Yugi, you're grandpa's the greatest," Nadia beamed.

"You say that now but try living with him. He can be pretty difficult sometimes." Yugi stated, smiling. He took a seat behind the cash register.

"Hey Yuge, can I get a deal for these booster packs?" Joey asked as he held a few packages wrapped in plastic.

"Didn't you get enough packs at the mall the other day?" Teá queried.

"Of course not Teá. Besides I didn't get any good rare cards." Joey stared at the boxes of booster packs. "How much for a box? Is there a discount?" he asked picking one up.

"There is a discount if you do buy a box, but they aren't cheap," Yugi said.

"Maybe you should ask Serenity for some money," Tea suggested teasingly. Joey's response was just a growl of frustration. It was quiet in the gameshop for a while as they could overhear Grandpa Moto talking on the phone.

Nadia was looking over some other card games advertisements, before turning to face Yugi. "Yugi, can I see the three rarest cards in all of Duel Monsters?" she asked.

"The ones I won in Battle City?" he asked.

"No the other cards you won," Joey said sarcastically as he rushed over to Yugi. "She means the Egyptian God cards." He gave Nadia a knowing look. "Don't you?"

"Of course," she said, leaning close to the blonde duelist. "So can I see them?"

"Well…" Yugi said as he laid a hand on his deck pocket. "I don't just show these cards to _just _anyone."

"Oh come off it. You showed them just yesterday to those kids who asked." Teá said as she playfully messed up his unique hair.

"Yeah but they wouldn't stop nagging me," Yugi said as he tried to, unsuccessfully, defend himself from Teá's attack. "Okay okay, I give I give!" as he fell to Teá's assault. "Here they are." He laid them each of them out so all could see.

"Amazing." The three beasts looked relatively harmless as three cards, despite their recent history. "So they really are individually colored and aren't like other cards," Nadia observed.

"Yeah. They aren't like normal monster, effect, trap, or magic cards. They really are in a class of their own," Yugi said.

_Not necessarily,_ Nadia thought to herself. _Ammemet the Devourer is red like Slifer. But what's the relationship between them? Will the other two Egyptian Demon cards match Ra's gold and Obelisk's blue? I must ask the master._

"You ever wonder what Pegasus was thinking creating these cards? I mean, with the Toon World card, it was just a _very_ broken card. But these," Joey pointed, remembering his experience with the Winged Dragon of Ra, "they really change the dynamic of the game. They're completely unstable."

"Yeah but they've got their weaknesses," Yugi pointed out.

"And remember," Nadia said as she reached into her backpack, "that the Duel Monsters are based off monsters from Egypt's past." She placed on the counter black and white photos of the bas-relief carvings. Many were pictures of some very famous duel monsters. "Maybe he didn't have a choice in the matter. Pegasus found most of his monsters from the past."

"Geez Nadia, do you always carry those around with you?" Joey asked as he began paging through the photos.

Before she could answer, another voice chimed in. "Excuse me all," Grandpa Moto said, "but Nadia, I believe you wanted to talk to the Professor?" He held his hand over the phone's receiver. The red-haired girl rushed over with glee and started talking. Grandpa chuckled and led her upstairs for some privacy.

"These really do look like Duel Monsters," Joey said as he began passing some of the photos around. Both Yugi and Teá nodded as they too began looking through the pictures.

"Say guys, doesn't this photo look familiar?" Teá asked. She held it up for the others to inspect.

"Hey that's a picture of the stone tablet Ishizu showed us," Yugi said.

"Doesn't it look a little bit _different_ to you guys?" Teá asked again., slightly breathless.

Both Yugi and Joey stared. "There looks to be something more at the bottom," Joey suggested.

"Yeah it almost looks like…No way!" Yugi exclaimed._ 'Pharaoh!' he called out._

'_Yes Yugi?' the Pharaoh asked._

'_There's something you have to see,' Yugi said as the two merged bodies._

"Is that what I think it is?" Joey asked.

"I think it is, Joey," the Pharaoh said, breathless at what he saw. Below the chiseled depiction of himself and the High Priest, the Millennium Rod was engraved, like the Puzzle was above. And just like the Puzzle above, the Rod was surrounded by an inverted triangle composed of three distinct monsters. Each were circled in a black highlighter and written were the words 'Egyptian Demons.'

"So what do you think this means?" Joey asked, dumbfounded.

* * *

Later that evening, 

Yugi stared up at the night sky from his bedroom window, looking the direction of Kaiba Corp. Tower. The alarm clock read 11:00. He sighed and let his mind wander.

'_Couldn't sleep?' the Pharaoh asked as he emerged from the Millennium Puzzle._

'_No, I can't.'_

'_What's on your mind?' The Pharaoh leaned on Yugi's bed._

'_I keep thinking that maybe we were wrong in giving Kaiba the Millennium Rod,' Yugi voiced, remembering the look Kaiba gave them when he 'woke' up. 'I mean, if he's really the incarnation of the High Priest, then what if he's the great evil that we haven't faced? Kaiba's a lot more powerful and has a lot more money than Marik or Pegasus,' Yugi anxiously explained. _

'_Yes but he has helped us before…in his own fashion,' the spirit rebutted. Of course he shared his other's doubts. 'Besides we both overcame those two. I'm sure we could take on Kaiba.' He was thinking of something to cheer his partner up._

'_Yeah but…I mean we know you and the High Priest fought a long time ago. But we don't know who won or even why you two were fighting.' Yugi said._

'_Yes a lot of questions remain unanswered. Many of them lie imprisoned within the Millennium Puzzle,' the spirit said, cradling the object that lay around his neck. 'I've spent far too long trying to figure out where my memories are. There are certain things that I should be able to remember. Like my name.' _

'_Marik said winning the God cards was supposed to help.' He took them out and looked at them. 'But they seem to be broken or something. Ishizu said having them and the Millennium Puzzle would confirm you as the Pharaoh.' Yugi palmed the Puzzle in his other free hand. 'Maybe the Puzzle's supposed to see the God cards. I mean it does have an eye on it.' He waved the three cards in front of the eye design. _

'_Yugi, if it were that simple…' the Pharaoh started. He didn't finish his thoughts because he saw that both Puzzles were glowing. 'Maybe it _is_ that simple.' He felt a tug on his being. He saw that Yugi felt it too. The tugging became a rough pull. Before either of them could respond, the two of them were pulled _somewhere; _it felt like they had been caught in the current of a river. They couldn't do anything except ride it out. _

'_Where are we?' Yugi asked after the ride finished and they were in the sunlight. It looked like the courtyard of some massive palace. There was a large crowd of people who looked very angry. Some were chanting, others were throwing stones._

'_This seems very familiar,' The Pharaoh said. 'Yugi, look!' He pointed at himself, which only grew ever so strange every time he did it. He, the other him, was sitting upon a throne flanked by four stout guards._ Did I really wear all that jewelry?_ he asked himself, noting how much his attire as Pharaoh was nothing like what he was currently wearing._

"_Bring forth the traitor!" the Pharaoh commanded._

_The High Priest strode out of the angry crowd, escorted by two guards. A cocky grin was on his face. "A traitor am I? After I have served the Great House of the Pharaoh for so long?"_

_The Pharaoh sat unfazed. "You stand accused of violating the sacred vows befitting a High Priest. You have been giving aid to the enemy. You have been caught committing acts of terrorism and formulating plans for open rebellion. How do you plead?"_

_The clergyman stood defiant. "Everything I have done was performed so that Justice would be done." He then pointed his finger at the Pharaoh. "Egypt will not tolerate a corrupt ruler, _Pharaoh! _The Gods have judged you unfit. Ra himself will send three demons that will rival even the Pharaoh's own monsters. What then will you do?" He turned to face the crowd. "Who will you turn to then when the Gods stop speaking to you? Who will provide grain and water to quench your starvation? Who continues to rob your children of their own future?" Again he pointed to the throne. "Will you continue to believe in him, even when he can't listen to the cries of his own people?" The angry protests grew louder._

"_Enough!" the Pharaoh yelled._

_But the High Priest didn't stop. "You see Pharaoh! You cannot even stomach even a partial truth. But while you sit in splendor and luxury, I have seen the sufferings of the people. I have seen the crimes carried out in your name. I have seen more than enough and it's driven me here, today, to say_ no more._"_

_The Pharaoh on the throne was simply shaking his head. The Pharaoh with Yugi whispered, 'No...this can't be true.' His eyes were starting to tear up. 'Tell me it isn't true.'_

'_There has to be a reason for all this,' Yugi said, trying to sound hopeful._

"_I vow today to see your tyranny come to an end. I vow to see Egypt restored to her former glory. And I vow to usher in a new age of peace and prosperity now and forever." At this the crowds cheered. "May the Gods grant me the strength and courage to see those vows come to pass." The High Priest abruptly turned from his guards and was heading towards the exit._

"_Sethos!" the Pharaoh called out._

_The tall priest turned briefly. "Your days are numbered," he said before leaving the courtyard._

Yugi and the spirit then found themselves back in his room. The Pharaoh was staring at his own hands. _'Could I…,' he started. 'Could I have really have been an evil ruler?' Small tears were streaming down his face. _Yugi had no words for his alter-ego. All he knew was that the two of them were not going to get any sleep tonight.


	14. Forbidden Games

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes:** You ever have one of those weeks where nothing goes right and the only thing you can do is wait for tomorrow to be better? I had to deal with my grandmother's death, an infestation of mice, my weak immune system giving in to the weather again, and a severe case of writer's block. Please no pity in your reviews, for I'm strangely an optimist. And I've been playing Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

In response to one reviewer's comments, no one has exactly traded places with anyone _yet._ We have the people in the past and people in the present. When Sethos came forward in time, he heard about a potential future. When Seto traveled in time, what everyone _should _assume is that he possesses the memories of Sethos and everything that happened to him in the course of the potential future (the present) which includes spoilers the death of Kisara and the betrayal against the Pharaoh and whatever reasons he had for doing certain actions. Merged with Seto's own life, I'm sure it would cause quite the synthesis. But each returned to their respective time-frames. So now Sethos has knowledge of a future and Seto has memory of a past life. But no one has exchanged places in history. And since no one has a complete picture of what happened and why, I'm free to continue plodding along with my _very_ makeshift plot. (I have this feeling of plot holes possibly occurring. Hopefully if they do occur, they will be overlooked.)

In other news, I've adopted the term Yami, which I equate to something meaning like spirit. So expect references to Yami Yugi and Yami Bakura in later posts. Still haven't decided on a name for the Pharaoh yet. And when we do encounter him again, I will refer to Ryou as 'Ryu' simply for personal preference and ease of spelling.

I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but one thing I've learned from writing this fic is that you've got to plod through the weaker scenes (and hope you think of something to make them remotely interesting) to get to the scenes you've already got in your mind. This has been a very valuable lesson for me.

* * *

**Forbidden Games**

The Puzzle around Yugi's neck had been silent for the past few days. Neither lost memories nor inhabitant had disturbed the short duelist, and Yugi was finding this worrisome. As he walked the halls of his high school alone, he let his mind wander on the condition of his closest friend. _I've never seen Yami so torn up. The only sound advice I can give him really only applies to people with solid bodies. _In such a distracted state of mind, his vision solely on his shoes, it was no wonder that the boy walked right into someone.

"Sorry," Yugi said without looking up and tried to move on.

"Yugi Moto?"

The boy looked up at the speaker. "Roland! What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Kaiba would like to have a word with you," the bearded man said.

"Kaiba?" Yugi asked perplexed.

"Yes. He was most insistent." Roland's sunglasses and stern face revealed nothing. "If you please," he said, gesturing towards the exit.

_Why would Kaiba want to see me?_ Yugi thought as he was escorted towards the distinctive limo. Although he had never been inside of it, he found the vehicle to be beyond his imagination. _I wonder if he has the complete memory of his life as the High Priest. Maybe he can shed some light on Yami's memories. _

After a short ride, the limo pulled into the Kaiba compound. Yugi could only gaze at the massive structure. He also noticed the number of suits patrolling the grounds. Everyone seemed to be very uptight, as if they were preparing for something big to happen.

A white tuxedo wearing man approached Yugi as he got out of the limo. He, at least, was smiling. "Yugi Moto. Winner of the Kaiba Corp. Battle City Finals." His eyes gazed over the short duelist. "Master Kaiba is expecting you in the Assembly Room. This way." Yugi had little choice but to follow around the ghostly uniform.

Feeling a bit brave, Yugi voiced a question. "Excuse me, but do you know what this is all about?"

"Master Kaiba said it was a matter between you and him. He's been unusually secretive when he returned home, most unlike him," Patterson replied. He led Yugi into to some massive doors. "He is inside." He turned to leave. "Oh and please try to speak softly. His hearing is not what it was," Patterson added before he left.

Yugi took a deep breath and pushed open the doors. Before him was a lengthy table with corporate high-backed chairs surrounding the table. To one side was a massive display screen, showing various readouts and live-camera feeds from, apparently, all over the world. One chair, of course, was not facing the changing images, its back towards everyone.

"Kaiba," Yugi said addressing that particular chair, as he tugged his school jacket tight against him.

"Yugi." The voice sounded very different, the tone being off-pitch, high screeching almost.

Yugi's palms were starting to sweat. _Maybe I should merge with Yami. I don't want to appear afraid before Kaiba. Yet…_ He put on his bravest face, despite the fact that the chair didn't turn around. "What's this about, Kaiba?"

"A source close to me," he started, "said an ancient pharaoh sealed away the magical powers of an important game, a game that comes to us in the form of Duel Monsters. That very same pharaoh did so at the height of Egypt's might in the olden world, crippling her from the inside. Egypt never recovered and has been in decline ever since."

"How do you know this?" Yugi asked.

"Did you not listen? I just told you. I have a source of which I've recently come into contact with." A slight growl was heard. "Pay attention. I have very little patience these days. Or perhaps I have suffered from too much patience? Still I need you to do something for me. I want you to release that power and bring Duel Monsters to its _full_ potential. I know you can do this."

_This isn't like him,_ Yugi thought. _He's simply asking me a favor. There has to be a catch._ "What makes you think I can do anything?"

"You're trying my patience again. You've told my brother and me more times than I wish to count regarding your story of being a pharaoh. Do you now deny this claim?"

"I deny nothing!" _My brother and me? That's curious phrasing._

"Then unlock those powers of the Millennium Puzzle! Let us play the game as it truly meant to be and let the gateways be open."

"Gateways? To the Shadow Realm?"

"To the worlds beyond."

Yugi was taken aback. "Wait, what?"

"The Shadow Games of Marik and of Pegasus were only the darkest manipulations of the banished magic. But if a heart free from malice were to create a so-called shadow game…?"

"Just what would happen?" Yugi curious.

"The possibilities are infinite. But you must unlock the power buried within your Millennium Puzzle."

Yugi fingered the golden object in his hands. Though he was the bearer of the puzzle, all of the powers seemed to be solely Yami's possession. All he did was assemble it and nothing more. _Could I really wield the Puzzle without Yami's knowing it? He'd probably be upset about it. I really should speak with him._

"You don't need the permission of the pharaoh." It was as if Kaiba was reading Yugi's thoughts. "He needs you more than you him. Trust me Yugi."

_No. Yami sealed away the power of the magic that devastated Egypt. I can't just unleash it without him knowing._ "No, Kaiba. I need more time to think about it."

It was silent for a moment before an audible click was heard, followed by a swoosh sound.

"What did you do?!" Yugi asked, very concerned.

"I've locked us in. You're not leaving until you start a shadow game."

"Kaiba!" Yugi had enough and rushed over to where he was sitting. His eyes widened when he looked upon the chair's occupant. "You're the wrong Kaiba," Yugi whispered.

Indeed, it wasn't Seto who Yugi had been talking to all this time but the younger Kaiba sibling, Mokuba. The seemingly cheerful and happy-go-lucky boy appeared like his older brother; the same stern look was upon his face. The most immediate change in the boy however was the vertical streaks of white hair that countered his jet black hair. His eyes were glossy. "I didn't want to do it this way, Yugi," Mokuba said, rising.

"Just what do you think you're going to do?"

Mokuba stiffly walked to one side of the room. "While I may not have a Millennium Item of my own, I have learned of a spell that will initiate a shadow game irregardless. I only hope that my heart is pure enough to take us where we need to go." He pointed to the duel disk at a compartment next to the doors. "You forgot yours, but I doubt you forgot your deck."

"I'm not going to duel you," Yugi stated.

"In a few moments, you won't have a choice." Mokuba closed his eyes, and began chanting strange foreign words.

"_Yugi! Who's speaking the ancient tongue?" Yami asked before taking in the scene before his host. "What's going on?"_

Yugi didn't say anything but simply merged with his alter-ego. As their two minds became fused into one body, Yami was updated on the events that had recently transgressed. "Mokuba! Do you know what you're risking?"

Mokuba remained motionless, save the moving of his mouth. The walls of the room, on the other hand, seemed to be engaging in a psychedelic ballet of colors. Hues of purples, blacks, reds were swirling around.

Yami Yugi, who unconsciously knew what was transpiring, moved to reach the vacant duel disk. He strapped it to his arm with little conscious thought. _I just hope I don't have to duel Mokuba, _he thought as he placed his deck in the appropriate place.

Mokuba's eyes opened and a familiar smile came upon his face. "Now Yugi, prepare to experience something that hasn't happened on Earth for five thousand years." The walls of the meeting room were fading out completely. The spiraling bands of colors ensnared both persons until they were wrapped and whisked away from the world.

* * *

Meanwhile elsewhere, 

Seto Kaiba emerged from his jaunt in the Shadow Realm, far outside of Lab #54, close to the suburbs of Domino. To a normal bystander, the young CEO just appeared in the rain, without any escort protecting him, heading in the direction of Domino High. He began walking, upwards to half a mile. As the droplets continued streaming down his head and white overcoat, creating quite the wet look, Kaiba stood reading the mailboxes. When he found the one he wanted, Seto walked up to the house to which it belonged and knocked loudly on the door. After a few moments, louder pounding.

"Just a minute," a young woman cried out. The door was unlocked, opened and young Teá Gardner appeared, wearing light-green pajamas. "Kaiba," she whispered, taken aback.

"Gardner," he said, stepping into the doorway. "I need your…," he stood towering over her, "_unwilling_ assistance."

"No…," Teá said, backing away.

"I have no choice then," Seto said as he pulled forth the Millennium Rod and activated it.


	15. Brotherly Love

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes:** At the bottom because of spoilers for only this chapter. I just want to say, here at least, don't be too sure who's controlling Mokuba. He may be acting of his own free will.

**

* * *

**

**Brotherly Love**

_This feels so familiar to me!_ Yami Yugi thought to himself as he felt his body being pulled, like he was stretching, but at the same time feeling the same size. _That spell Mokuba chanted. _The image of the young boy who only mouthed strange words dominated his mind. _Why can't I remember what it does?_

It was over before it had started. Yami Yugi found himself and Mokuba standing on top of a rocky plateau. A gust of wind shook the two, making them unsteady on their feet. As Yami Yugi settled himself on the soles of his feet, he thought he saw something in the distance behind the possessed boy. _It looks like the outskirts of a town._ "Where have you taken us?"

Mokuba stood there with a cocky grin on his face. "This isn't exactly where I wanted to go, but it's close enough to home. So very close," he said as he tasted the air.

"Take us back Mokuba!"

"I will not. But _someone_ could." The boy laughed as he pointed at the Millennium Puzzle. "But from what I can tell, you have amnesia and are fully unaware of the _true_ powers you have." His cackling echoed in the winds.

_This isn't the Mokuba I know. But who would want to take a hold of him._ Yami Yugi couldn't help but stare at the white streaks in the boy's hair; it had to be a sign of something. "Mokuba…," he started.

"And since you don't know of your powers," the younger Kaiba said, raising his left arm.

"I not going to duel you," Yami Yugi repeated, the same determination as before.

"I promised you that we would play the game as it always meant to be played," Mokuba slid the duel disk unto its activated position. "…and now we shall." He drew five cards into his hand, grinning. "If you won't duel to protect yourself, then I have no problems with that."

_If I duel him, I may accidentally hurt him. But I can't just do nothing, _Yami Yugi thought as he stared at the boy and the blue sky. He set his own duel disk at the ready.

"I knew you'd see it my way," Mokuba said. All counters read 4000. He drew one card. "I set one card face down and summon the Dimensional Warrior in attack mode (1200/1000)." A red-haired solider stood before Mokuba, its brown scarf flapping in the wind, its sword pointed at Yugi. Much of the armor the solider had a cybernetic appearance, as if the armor was playing an additional role in augmenting the frame of the young swordsman.

"I draw." _I don't want to hurt him so I'll play this._ "I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700)." The lean gray robotic-looking monster emerged wielding its magnet-emblazoned sword and shield. Alternating sparks of electricity whirled around the monster. "Attack with Attraction/Repulsion slash!" The magnet warrior rushed forward and embedded its sword into the body of its opposing monster; Dimensional Warrior was torn in two from the resulting conflicting forces. Yet Alpha seemed to be stuck on that side of the field, when it tried to return. Before long it too got stuck was seemingly torn apart as well. "My Magnet Warrior!" Yami Yugi cried out.

"The special effect of my Dimensional Warrior," Mokuba started, "Is that it removes itself and the monster that attacks it from the current duel." He seemed little phased by the loss of 200 life-points.

_Now I'm defenseless_. Yugi glanced at his cards briefly. "I set two cards face down and end my turn." _This doesn't seem any different from any other duel. What did he mean the _full_ potential of Duel Monsters?_

"My move," Mokuba said as he drew. "I play this, the magic card Heavy Storm." A hurling windstorm descended upon the lonely plateau. A slight smirk grew on Mokuba's face as he watched Yami Yugi struggling against the high winds, his two cards blown clear. "Now I summon Dream Clown (1200/900). Attack his life-points!" A small human figure appeared wearing a matching jester's cap and shirt with stars stitched on. The blue cape fluttered as it danced over to Yugi before attaining an uncharacteristic rigidity as it struck him across the torso. "I place one card face down. Your move."

_I need to try to stall this turn, _Yami Yugi thought."You know we don't have to do this. Obviously something very troubling is disturbing your peace of mind." He thought he saw, just briefly, a look of the old happy Mokuba. "Let me help you and then you can help me get us both out of here."

"You help me?" Mokuba entire body was violently trembling. "In case you forgot Yugi, the last time you helped me my brother became…he became something, not himself! I searched for him. He's been missing. I haven't seen him for a week!" Tears started to stream down his face. "He wasn't supposed to leave. Not without me. This was supposed to be _our_ time. _Our Time!_ Just me and him and no one else."

Yami Yugi's mouth hung open. "Honesty Mokuba, I didn't know. I couldn't have foreseen that all this would have happened," he apologized.

It didn't help matters. Mokuba flew into a rage. "And that's just like you Yugi! You say you're sorry and all that, but all you do is hide behind your friends and refuse to accept any responsibility! You think being nice and friendly to everyone will get you anywhere, but it won't because in the end you try your hardest and then you lose everything because you were too weak."

"How do you know this? Who told you these lies?"

"Lies?!" Mokuba grinned, laughing. "No Yugi. I saw all this when I remembered who I was." His eyes took on that glossy look again. "I was the Chief Scribe to the High Priest and I watched as his life come crashing down all around him. He lost everything and an inept Pharaoh did nothing, could do nothing. So what could the High Priest do? He did the unthinkable and fought for a revolution. Now I know why Seto is so cold. He doesn't trust anyone. I thought that was wrong but I couldn't do anything and now I've lost him. Because I was too weak." He was silent for moment before returning to his former state of mind. "But I won't let you ruin me! I'll find him. And when I've told him that I've defeated you, he won't have to be the way he was anymore. He will be the Seto I remembered."

"I…I refuse to believe that. I won't ruin you." Yami Yugi said quietly. "I refuse to believe that I was an unjust Pharaoh. I am not in the wrong here!" He shouted, though in the back of his mind, he had his doubts.

"You refuse to accept the truth no matter how painful it might be. But no more. I will make you see the truth when I take your Puzzle away from you. You, prepare to lose!" He was about draw when he realized that it was still Yugi's turn. "Make your move."

_So much for stalling. Still I'd like to know how he got his memories back._ "I place this one card face down, and summon the Water Magician (1400/1000)." A well-uniformed young woman of blue and green with red trim appeared. She tipped her feathered cap forward with the staff in her hands. "Attack his Dream Clown with Rainfall Torrent." The young mage twirled and raised her staff to the sky; clouds emerged from nowhere and darkened as huge droplets the size of cats or dogs fell.

Mokuba smirked. "I don't think so." But instead of playing any of his face-down cards he uttered a foreign word. The rainfall that would have normally crushed Mokuba's Dream Clown failed to affect him and without warning Yugi's Water Magician was destroyed.

"What trickery is this?" Yami Yugi asked. "My monster's attack points were higher!"

"Why don't you look down at your Puzzle to find out?"

Yugi did and witnessed a strange phenomenon. Instead of glowing as a whole as it normally did, only certain areas were radiating brightly: The four corners of the top, the point at the bottom, and the eye in the center. "It's…it's never done this before!"

"Because you never had an instructional manual for your puzzle," Mokuba joked. "Remember how I said I'll show you the full potential of Duel Monsters?" He pointed at the inverted pyramid. "Those sections that are glowing are releasing the elemental energies that all Duel Monsters possess. Now they are flooding this game, and soon when I take your puzzle, all duels will possess this new ruling."

"Elemental Energies?"

"Each Duel Monster is inscribed with an Elemental Type. Now normally it is only the Attack points that worth considering. Now that is only a secondary condition. The first is whether the monster's element can defeat the opposing monster's element." He pointed to his Dream Clown. "My monster is of the Element Earth and yours was of Water. And as you noticed the earth soaks up water, or directs it where to go. So you're Water Magician had no power over my Dream Clown. Had my monster been of the Element Fire, then your monster would still be on the field and I'd be searching for an Earth monster."_  
_

_He's right!_ Yami Yugi noticed all strange glyphs that were in the upper right corner of each card. He had never considered that as part of any of his deck constructions._ With this new rule, a new twist is added to the game._ He gritted his teeth. "I end my turn."

Mokuba smiled, sniffled, as he drew his next card. "To show you the validity of all my claims, I summon the only creature that only my brother and the High Priest of Egypt could call as their own. First I play this, Dimensional Return. It allows me to call back any monster that has been sent out of play." His Dimensional Warrior flashed back into existence. Mokuba grew calm for a moment, wiping his tear-stained eyes. Yami Yugi felt his body tensing up. "Now, as my brother before me often did, I sacrifice my two monsters to summon the legendary, the fearsome, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The all-too recognizable cry pierced the area. A beam of white light shot down from the heavens and crashed before Mokuba. Out on its hind legs, the rare dragon spread its wings and aimed its head towards Yugi. His knees grow weak as he wondered what he was going to do to counter his rival's most prized creature.

Mokuba-3800

Yami Yugi-2800

* * *

Elsewhere in the Shadow Realm, 

"You're certain no one saw you take this?" Yami Bakura asked his fellow white-haired accomplice, fingering the card in his hand. "The Millennium Eye grants me new powers for the ones I lost."

"No one saw me. No one even remembered that such a place existed. It was easy pickings," the man with the dagger bowed, causing it to dangle on its cord.

"And you are certain that this is the strongest of the three Demon cards, Gehaji?"

"Of course, Bakura. You will not suffer like you did at the hands of Marik."

"That still troubles me. Why did he not know such a card existed? Why didn't he bother to search for the Egyptian Demons?" Yami Bakura shuddered as he remembered the jaws of Amment. "If your and the others' stories are true, this card is equal to the strength of the Winged Dragon of Ra."

"He did come from a clan of Tomb-Keepers," Gehaji pointed out. "They were probably a pro-Pharaoh faction during the war and stripped the High Priest from their historic accounts."

"Yes, they probably would do that, those bigots." Yami Bakura closed his eyes, weary from the lack of sleep. It was impossible to tell the passage of time in a place of neither light nor darkness. "I need to make a little visit to _someone in particular_," as he unconsciously fingered his chest, "before we move to our next phase. I doubt I will be long."

"Soon we will have all the time in the world."

"Yes, soon we shall be beyond death."

* * *

**My Notes:** I've had to bend a few rules to get this to work. I wanted to merge the existing card game system with the alternative version of playing. As everyone knows, there are six main types of cards (Light, Dark, Fire…) and twenty sub-types (Magician, Rock, Undead…) normally. But in certain Gameboy games there's another set of types which includes (Thunder, Dreams, Divine…) and you could defeat a superior monster by playing it against its type. Any water monster would defeat any fire monsters, but thunder would defeat any water. This was what I was hinting towards but it doesn't exactly work because the two systems seem too incompatible.There's only six main types, and the other had a division of elements and light/darkness scale. Now had they asked me I would have pointed this out to them… 

And will we see a Silent Swordsman, or monsters that grow stronger? Maybe. I haven't seen enough of those duel episodes to make a judgement call.

Anyways I'll try to get one more chapter in before Christmas, but I really should be enjoying my break and attending to some personal matters. But if you've been good little boys and girls, maybe I'll update this sooner than later.


	16. Separation

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My notes: **Well I checked my list, and checked it twice. Seems everyone was on the nice list, especially Light Derived from Darkness, and Kikoken whose constant reviews early on inspired me to keep on this project. Additional thanks go chattypandagurl, geminiprincess547, ThePianoFiend, Yume no Zencho, Aoi Dragon, cute-Baka, Freak09, and faeriefan (whose praise of this as the greatest, outstanding story in the entire yugioh section will not lead me to get a big ego, or so I hope) and everyone else who's reviewed this story. It's been a little over two months since I've started this and I have over fifty pages, officially making this my longest work,_ ever_. And it's _still_ not finished. This is what happens when you can't let an idea out of your head go away. I'm going to take a little break, a much needed one, as I try to think up of decks and events for Joey, Serenity, Tristan, Teá, Nadia, and Seto. I've plotted things for everything else except them which only goes to show that you can't plan for everything. And if people don't particular like how this duel ends, well let's just say its vital to the plot I've got worked out. I really wish I didn't have to write duels, I can't keep planning them. I was going to post this earlier until I realized that Yugi still had a card out, forcing me to rewrite the last part over again. Really, really hate writing dueling posts. Anyways enjoy!

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* * *

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**Separation**

Nadia entered into her small room. Her host family was away for the moment which allowed for her to be a bit less discreet. Kneeling, she sat in front of a small table with a small Buddha statue flanked by two candles along with an incense tray; a very simple setup. Her hands lit the candles and positioned herself, facing the wall. She pulled out the Millennium Ring from out of her handbag and placed it around her neck. As the object swayed to rest in front of her chest, she could be heard murmuring a small prayer. Within moments her eyes were closed to the outside world.

_

* * *

_

_One attack from the Blue-Eyes will wipe me out,_ Yami Yugi thought as he glanced at his life-point counter. _But why does Mokuba have this dragon? Seto was never known for much generosity and to freely give his brother even one of his dragons seems incredible to believe._ The only defense he had was his one face-down card, and with only two cards in his hand, Yami Yugi was at a severe disadvantage.

Especially since it was still Mokuba's turn. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, end our family rivalry and destroy Yugi's life-points." With a roar of acknowledgement, the dragon lowered upon all four of its robust legs, and let loose a beam of white lightning.

"I activate my trap card, Enchanted Javelin," Yami Yugi yelled before the lightning stuck him; the force propelling him to the ground. His breathing became labored as his chest and nerves registered intense pain but he was alright.

"What is this?" Mokuba asked. "Your life-points are supposed to be gone!"

"Normally I would have lost, had I not played Enchanted Javelin. It allows me to gain as many life-points as the monster has attack points. Thus I gained 3000 life-points right before the Blue-Eyes took them away."

"More of your cheating ways," Mokuba said, crossing his arms. "But on my next turn, you're going down."

_Mokuba's only got one card in his hand and one card face-down on the field. This next card could help turn things around, _Yami Yugi thought as he drew. _But this won't help! _He wiped his forehead clean of sweat. "I set this card in Defense mode."

_Yugi, I feel something disturbing our connection. I can't tell where it's coming from, the pharaoh voiced._

_Are you certain?_

_Yes. We've got to keep going though, Yami focusing at the duel at hand._

"Not much you can do is there Yugi?" Mokuba taunted as he drew. "Go, White Lightening." His brother's dragon blasted the defensive monster to bits.

_Come on, Heart of the Cards!_ Yami Yugi mentally cursed. He let out a sigh of frustration as he again placed another monster in defense. Which was promptly destroyed the next turn. _I can't keep this up. If I don't do something fast…that Blue-Eyes is going to devour me. _His hand trembled as he drew and secretly thanked the Heart of the Cards. "Mokuba, do you think you have the ability to wield your brother's dragon?"

"I have the card. Isn't that enough?" Mokuba asked, astonished at the affront.

"No, its not. Many have tried taking that card away from your brother. Seto has seen his dragon corrupted, used against him, defeated," Yami Yugi answered, remembering all the times he, himself, had abused the Blue-Eyes, forcefully blinking, "Yet he continues to play it. Because he believes in it. His heart is in it." He saw Mokuba cringe at his words. "And I don't think your heart shows the same patience, devotion, and forethought that he has shown. Because you would eventually prepared for an event like this. I play the magic card, Snatch Steal!" The mighty White Dragon was immediately taken to the other side of the field and was staring down at Mokuba.

"You have no right!" Mokuba shouted. "You're nothing but a petty thief!"

_It's happening again, its growing stronger. Be on your guard, Yami warned. _This time Yugi did feel something odd between their mind-link but shook it off. "These things happen in the game and in life. The question is: are you able to stand up to your fate and continue on despite what you know will happen next?" The jaw of the Blue-Eyes began to open.

"I'm not afraid." The boy in stripes stood ready to receive the blow.

_That's the Mokuba I know. Let's hope this snaps him out of it._ "White Lightning Attack!" The dragon roared as it let loose its attack. Yami Yugi watched the boy not even flinch as he was knocked down towards the ground. He still had 800 life-points left as he rose to his knees.

"Are you done?" Mokuba asked, groaning. Yami Yugi nodded. The boy drew, immediately gaining 1000 life-points, the second effect of Snatch Steal. "I figured you'd eventually take my brother's dragon, which is why I kept this in my hand. I summon Saggi the Dark Clown (600/1500)." A jester-dressed monster appeared, its face a mask of white and black. Bells jingled from Saggi's flamboyant hat, collar, and gloves. "Attack!" Laughter filled the air as Saggi hopped over and mocked boxed the White Dragon into destruction. Their life-point counters remained the same however.

"Let me guess, a creature of Dark?" Yami Yugi asked, understanding the new Element rule. He continued to feel the sun beating down on him.

"Yes," Mokuba nodded, "and now I place one more card face down." A second card appeared beside the other one he still had from earlier. He then proceeds to take off his vest, being careful around the duel disk as he did.

_If that's Seto Kaiba who's controlling Mokuba, then that next card will be the Crush Card. But what if it's someone else controlling him? _Yami Yugi drew his Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. _This card would survive; it only has 1400 Attack points._ Mentally, there was a small burning, scratching pain that was spreading from behind of his eyes which was proving to be quite the distraction. He summoned his sword-wielding monster to the field; the green and brown clad warrior was posed in battle stance. "Go attack Saggi the Dark Clown!" The fighter rushed over to the half-grinning clown.

"Activate my trap card!" Mokuba shouted.

_I knew it. The Crush Card!_ Yami Yugi thought preparing to counter a lack of high powered monsters. A flash of blue light appeared wrapping both duelists in a sphere however. When he looked over he saw his monster kneeling on the ground, straining to get himself up or even hold up his sword. "What is this?!" Yami Yugi asked.

"This is Gravity Bind," Mokuba grinned. "It prevents any four star monster or higher from attacking. It was one of the few counters against Seto's deck," he said as he drew. "I play this, Stuffed Animal (1200/900)." A seemingly innocent looking teddy bear appeared on the field. It walked forward a few steps before it's head fell over, revealing a zipper mouth filled with sharp teeth. "I then play the Black Pendant, which increases the attack points of my Stuffed Animal by five hundred points. Attack his Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" The wild teddy bear walked and mauled the elfin swordsman to pieces. "Go Saggi the Dark Clown with Ominous Hilarity!" The masked entertainer, displaying his physical potency, shocked everyone all by throwing a pie at Yami Yugi in the face. The Dark Clown laughed and laughed as Yami Yugi calmly wiped his face the white pie filling off his face, his face in utter disbelief. The sun above burned brightly.

_I've just been hit by a pie,_ Yami Yugi recoiled as he drew his next card. _He's still got that one face-down card._ "I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards." The lavish green jar appeared with its wide grin. "I then summon Kuriboh in defense position." The small brown fuzzy hairy ball with wide eyes appeared, it fiercely taking its place in front of Yami Yugi. He wiped the sweat off his brow as his vision of Mokuba became out of focus. "I then…I…," he saw the magic card he wanted to play but instead of placing it in the correct slot, he almost summoned it. "I play Black Core. By discarding one card from my hand…," he paused to remove his school jacket, "I can destroy one of your monsters." He was straining to decide which card to choose. It didn't matter; both were cards useless at the moment. He discarded and chose the abominable puffy bear to the graveyard."

"You know what happens when the Black Pendant goes to the Graveyard?" Mokuba asked, dark stains appearing under his arms. "500 life points of damage to you." The jewelry shot a beam of black energy at Yami Yugi, knocking him back, before it disappeared with the forbidding creature. He shook it off as his life-points read 1400.

The young Kaiba drew. But he deliberately stood there, letting the sun continue to affect Yugi. He even silently moved his words, making it look that he was doing something.

One moment, Yugi saw his Kuriboh there. The next, it was missing.The pain behind his eyes growing more intense and the heat playing tricks with him. He could also hear someone talking to him, but he just couldn't make it out. _It's so hot, _he thought _It's like we're in a desert! _ "Stop this Mokuba! You're not getting anything out of this course of action!" Yami Yugi shouted, having this horrible feeling that he was seconds away from defeat.

"What makes you think I'm not?" Mokuba answered with a shrug. "Once I have your Puzzle, I'll be able to unlock all of its mysteries; the spells hidden within. It will save him, it will save us_ all_."

Yami Yugi felt to one knee, the eye pain becoming unbearable, and cursing his black tank top. "You don't know what you're talking about. We can get through this together." He shut his eyes trying to block out the pain._ Yugi! Yugi!_ the voice shouted._ Our mind-link is slipping! Something's interfering with… _

"Yugi help me!" he heard Mokuba cry out. But when he opened his eyes, he only found the boy in the striped shirt standing, preparing to make his last move. "This ends now Yugi. I will surpass Seto when I play this…" Yugi couldn't hear the last bit of it. He fell over, planting his face in the ground.

Mokuba smiled. "Say goodbye!" as he played that last final card. Yugi's life-point counter rolled to zero. The boy started walking towards the fallen duelist and pulling the chain-necklace off of him.

"My Puzzle," Yugi said weakly, trying to stop the younger Kaiba from taking it.

"The Library," Mokuba corrected. "The so-called Heart of the Cards," he said as he placed the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, "was always around your neck. You just never knew it. You may be the Pharaoh Incarnate but what good is a pharaoh with out a country that believes in him?" He listened to Yugi, hearing nothing a low groan. "Well I wouldn't worry too much about it. If all goes according to plan, you'll get to spend time with your precious Pharaoh soon enough." Mokuba laughed as he left Yugi out in the blistering sun.

* * *

Nadia's eyes opened in shock. _It's not supposed to go this way._ A slight coat of sweat covered her from head to toe, her breathing irregular. _I need to wash up, I…_ She walked hurriedly to the bathroom. Running the tap, she splashed water over her face. As she stared at her flame red locks in the mirror, she saw him, grinning like the madman that he was. She started walking back when she heard him speak.

"I've got my eye on you. And I have Sekhmet…" The voice would have finished except a cup shattered the mirror.

* * *

Meanwhile, 

"What's going on here?!" Seto Kaiba asked as he approached the Kaiba Mansion.

Roland approached, his finger in stuck in one ear. "Master Mokuba ordered a lock down and only ordered certain people access to the grounds." He helped his master with the woman that he brought with him.

"Mokuba? Where is he?" Seto asked.

"He should still be in the Assembly Room."

The two walked past the front gate, Roland in tow. "Has anyone else been brought here?" Seto asked, curious.

"Only Yugi Moto," the suit reported.

Hearing that, Kaiba growled. "Have the servants put her in one of the spare bedrooms. After I refresh myself, have the limo prepped. I need to make a visit."


	17. Seeking Answers

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh. I also don't own any song lyrics. I only own this plot, my precious plot...

**My Notes: **Hot off the presses! Just to remind one reviewer, this story is divorced from the events in the Ancient Egypt story arc. Meaning there won't be any Zork, there won't be any evil Bakura's Diabound running around, and there won't be any fusion between the three Egyptian Gods cards. Now does this mean that we'll see Mahado and Mana? Maybe. Will we see the slaughtered village that Bakura comes from? Maybe. Rather, it won't be slaughtered to make the Millennium Items, but for another reason entirely. But basically when you're reading this wonderful story of mine, you're supposed to forget whatever happens in the published/translated manga/anime and read this with fresh eyes. Otherwise I would have started a fanfic on Yugioh GX which I'm sure won't be coming to the states anytime soon.

And this chapter is basically filler for the next chapter, not that there hasn't been a few before. Hopefully the next chapter will explain why the Millennium Rod and Necklace were kept together. I'll see everyone next year that is if I survive tonight. Happy New Years everybody!

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* * *

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**Seeking Answers**

The Domino Museum had housed many things: gallery-sized paintings, statues carved from the finest marble, weakened and weathered original manuscripts from famous authors. The exhibits usually spoke volumes to their visitors who stared at them. But upon seeing the foursome who just entered, the exhibits stood silent.

"Why are we here again?" Joey asked, as he stared a simple cube painting; it being a part of some recent art movement.

"Because this is the last day of the Egyptian exhibit," Nadia informed him.

"Yeah but why am I here?" Tristan asked as he was about to touch a statue that was clearly marked by signs that said 'Don't Touch.'

"Because you said you didn't have anything else to do," Nadia reminded. _That and I need some protection and I'll take what I can get,_ she thought to herself. She involuntarily shuddered, remembering the face in the mirror. "That and you would do anything for a pretty girl," she added sweetly. Tristan quietly chuckled at the remark.

"Yeah but why am I here?" Serenity asked as she watched her brother contemplate the abstract painting.

"Oh dat one's simple. You're here to spend time with your ever-loving brother," Joey said, unable to make heads or tails of what the painting wanted to say, other than_ I am a cube_. "'Sides, you're the only one of us with actual money."

"Yeah. I mean, come on, its highway robbery just to see fine art. There should be a student discount or something!" Tristan complained.

"Well we could always become members?" Serenity suggested, remembering the helpful, and handsome, clerk at the entrance.

"And keep on coming back here? Not for me thanks," Joey said, moving to yet another odd painting: this one displaying a wild collection of multicolored lines making an outline of a popular culture family. "I don't get half this stuff anyways."

Nadia however was impatient. "Will you guys hurry up? We only have thirty minutes before the museum closes."

"I guess it's not that bad," Joey remarked, knowing that he would never become a great artist, or understand what they produced.

The foursome entered the Exhibit Hall where only the main displays were still viewable by the public. The main display was still the stone tablet that an ancient pharaoh and an ancient high priest facing one another. It was flanked by other stone tablets

Joey, whose memory often worked like a rusty steel trap, asked, "Say Nadia, don't you already have pics of most of these things?"

"Of course I do," she said, pausing to look at one of the terracotta jars trapped by a glass container, "but there are times when you just have to see something really up close and personal to realize its true value." _I also need a history lesson before I get fully involved in this growing crisis. Everything I know is based on heresy which doesn't do me a lot of good,_ Nadia thought to herself. She was unconsciously steered to the only exhibit that the rest were remotely interested in.

"Wow, that really does look a lot like Yugi," Serenity remarked, staring at the carved likeness. "But he looks older, more confident like." Everyone agreed. "_And taller_," she whispered.

"Yeah, it's really amazing, all that stuff he says about him being this pharaoh from Egypt." Tristan added, coming to Serenity's side. "Half the time I wonder just what he's been taking. The other half, I wonder if I'm not taking anything."

"Tristan! Are you saying that you have doubts about Yugi's sanity?" Joey accused.

The pointed-haired one smirked. "I sometimes wonder about everyone's sanity."

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," a familiar voice announced. The group turned to face this newcomer.

"Ishizu!" Serenity exclaimed as she astonished the older woman by hugging her. "I take it your brother is better?" she asked, forgetting that the Egyptian was here on duty and not as a close friend.

"Yes, Marik is recovering. Odion is helping him get back on his feet." The raven-haired woman responded. She glanced over at Joey. "Are you feeling better as well?"

"Of course. It's just like that song. _I get knocked down, but I get back up again. Ain't nothing going to keep me down,_" he sang. "That should be my theme song or something," Joey grinned.

"Dude, you do know what that song's about?" Tristan whispered to his friend's ear, whispered for the sake of Serenity.

"It's about how we're going to spend our twenties," he replied in a whisper, giving a thumbs up. He turned to face Ishizu. "But seriously, I wanna thank you for watching over me with Serenity and everybody. Not everyone would do dat for fellow passengers. You're okay in my book."

"And my brother?" the tan woman inquired.

"He's still gotta earn his keep."

Ishizu laughed. "I guess that's to be expected." She looked over at Tristan, who simply nodded his acknowledgement. "Who's your friend?" she asked no one in particular as she stared at the pale green-eyed girl.

Of course she introduced herself. "My name's Nadia. I heard you were a finalist at Battle City." _The Priestess Isis-Nefer! _she realized as her eyes observed the Millennium Necklace wrapped around Ishizu's neck.

"Yes, I was defeated by Seto Kaiba during the semi-finals," Ishizu replied, remembering that fateful duel. "I thought I had countered his unique strategy until he surprised everyone by sacrificing Obelisk to summon his Blue-Eyes."

"Wait, he did what?" Nadia asked, very curious.

"Obelisk was on the field see," Joey started, taking over the conversation. "He only had his hand and like three cards in his deck, our friend here countering his discard strategy. She was predicting which cards he would play. Instead of attacking with Obelisk, like I would have done, old moneybags sends it to the graveyard. And out of nowhere comes his Blue-Eyes White Dragon and wipes out the rest of Ishizu's life-points."

"Yeah that was a pretty exciting duel," Tristan commented. "We were all sure that you were going to win. But you seemed pretty confident facing an Egyptian God card. Not like Joey here." At that, Joey growled. "Care to let us in on your secret?"

"Ah but if I told you, then how could I know that you would keep it private," Ishizu said, smiling. "Besides everyone enjoys a good mystery."

"You can say that again," Joey affirmed. Even Serenity nodded at this.

"Isn't that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" Nadia asked pointing at the tablet, carefully steering the conversation.

"Indeed it is," Ishizu confirmed. She bit her lip as if hesitating on telling more.

"Why don't you tell us the story about this tablet?" Nadia innocently inquired. She was then followed by pleads from the others for the story.

Ishizu gave in. "Legend states that in Egypt a battle was fought between a Pharaoh and his High Priest. This was after a long and brutal war. Inscriptions at the time recorded only part of the battle. History did not note a winner leaving only speculations as to who won this final conflict. Some have attributed this tablet to a mythological tale regarding the tale of Osiris. In this light, the High Priest was seen to be the embodiment of Set while the Pharaoh would be the embodiment of Osiris, or his son Horus to avenge his father," she explained. Everyone seemed to follow what she was saying.

"But that doesn't explain where the dragon comes from?" Nadia pressed on.

"We only have rumors regarding the monsters above the Pharaoh and the High Priest," Ishizu continued. "One is that the creatures were manifestations of people close to both participants. Another is that these monsters existed outside the realm of normal reality. Yet one more theory suggests that these creatures were created artificially, like how we would construct an automobile."

"And it is only by coincidence that these two monsters were played during the rematch between Yugi Moto and Seto Kaiba?" Nadia followed up.

"To cast those two in the role of Pharaoh and High Priest would be highly circumstance," Ishizu clarified, here giving her academic response. "However events prior to and during the Finals at Battle City have made me question that response."

"Do you really think Yugi's a part of history?" Joey asked.

Ishizu took her time before answering. "Yugi is a special young man. I don't doubt that fate has a role for him to play."

"And Seto Kaiba?" Nadia asked.

Everyone could see Ishizu grimace. "I'm sure he's determined enough to make his way through life. He often gets his way," she said politely.

"And that's the way I like it," a cold voice answered.

"Kaiba!" Joey snarled. "Can't you see we're having a discussion over here?"

"Actually the museum is closing in five minutes," Ishizu said glancing at a wall clock. "No exceptions!" she emphasized for Kaiba's sake.

"That's too bad," Seto Kaiba said, his eyes wandering over the small group. His eyes seem to linger long on Serenity and Nadia. "I thought I would repay the kindness, Miss Ishtar," he said, looking her straight in her blue eyes, "since you held a private exhibition for me the day this exhibit opened, by taking you out for dinner."

The older woman turned away and blushed. "I'm flattered, really. It's just that…" Ishizu began searching for an excuse that would take her away from the tall CEO.

"Kaiba Corp can handle the process of moving and shipping these artifacts," Kaiba said. "And the museum would receive a wonderfully _large_ donation."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Tristan snidely remarked. Joey agreed.

Seto Kaiba shot them a mean glance. "I'd be careful what you say around me. We wouldn't want any _accidents._"

"Are you threatening me?" Joey asked, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists. "I'm warning you."

"Heel, mutt. I wouldn't dare cause a scene in such a public place. Especially with many witnesses," Kaiba stated. His eyes hovered over Serenity's lithe frame, as if he was mentally checking something. "You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself in front of your sister."

Joey noticed that Kaiba's eyes lingered too long on Serenity. "Get your eyes off my baby sister!"

"Must be tough having an overprotective brother," Seto said to Serenity. "I, at least, let Mokuba make friends. Even if they are annoying." He watched as Serenity turn several shades of red before letting his eyes rest on Nadia. His face became a mask of confusion. "And you are…?"

"I'm new," Nadia said bluntly. _I can't reveal to the High Priest Sethos who I am,_ she thought. _If he knew who I was,_ she quickly shot a menacing glance at Serenity, _or who I should be, then he would stop at nothing at rekindling our ancient flame._

"So it seems," Kaiba said in mild confusion. He turned again to Ishizu. "I can get a table at any restaurant in downtown Domino. You wouldn't want to leave without seeing the night skyline. It is quite the sight."

Ishizu was momentarily speechless. Half of her was debating _actually_ going with Seto; the other half talking herself out of it. "I'm…really not prepared."

"You need not dally. We can go anywhere you need to," Seto explained.

Tristan seemed to have lost his cool. "That's it! I can't stand this anymore. I'm leaving!" And with that he began walking out.

"Tristan!" both Wheelers' called out as they turned to go after him. Only Nadia remained behind, momentarily.

"My offer does not last all evening," Seto Kaiba explained, seemingly growing impatient.

"Ishizu!" Nadia called out, drawing the older woman away from Kaiba's piercing glance. When the Egyptian recovered her senses, she continued. "Is there a way to contact you? I'd like to discuss matters further before you leave." She took out a small notepad and pen.

"This is where I'm staying," the older woman stated. "I'm only there until the end of the week." She still seemed to be debating Seto's offer.

"Thanks so much!" Nadia said. She leaned in to Ishizu's ear. "You know you want to. Go ahead and enjoy yourself." She winked before she ran off to find the others.

"Well?" Kaiba asked as he loomed into Ishizu's eyesight.

"As long as its only dinner," she replied, wondering if she made the right decision.

* * *

Later, 

The two were seated in the back of Kaiba's limo as it headed into downtown Domino. "There is much that I wish to discuss with an archeologist of your caliber," Seto said.

"The last time we discussed things from the past, you seemed very disinterested," Ishizu reminded.

Seto gave a mock shrug. "Well that was then," he explained, taking something out of his overcoat. "It was before I knew who I truly was." The Millennium Rod stood firmly in his hands.

Ishizu gasped. "You wouldn't…," she started, touching her own golden necklace unconsciously.

"No," Seto said, tucking the item back in his belt. "But I wish to know, if our alliance is still intact, _Isis-Nefer_."


	18. A Night Not Soon Forgotten

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh. I only own a select few of the various products that are distributed because I am very, very poor.

**My Notes:** As part of my New Year's Resolution, I decided that I needed to spend **even more time** writing. That said, I've started yet another fanfiction. If you enjoy my work, go check it out. Remember that these are all experiments in writing and they aren't exactly supposed to be perfect (despite all your claims of the contrary). I keep finding errors here and there and I wish I could edit the chapters more closely.

Anyways the only real complaint I have now is that I have to actually keep writing this story. You may ask yourself, how is that a complaint? You see, I can't help but keep seeing scenes for this ever expanding story. Which only means it can only get longer. I'm nowhere where I should be, or thought I'd be. It'd be so much easier if I could just sit back and just watch this story unfold, like everyone who reads this does. But that's the burden of being a writer I guess. Here's the latest chapter in this painful torture I'm inflicting upon myself. Enjoy!

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* * *

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**A Night Not Soon Forgotten**

Ishizu took her time savoring the meal provided by the rich and famous CEO, Seto Kaiba. Although a gnawing pain had been growing in the pit of her stomach, she couldn't help but enjoy the food; Seto had chosen the premiere five star restaurant for their dinner-date. Ishizu didn't dare call it a date for two reasons: because she hadn't been on many dates before; and because the young millionaire was trying to get something from her.

"I hope you aren't getting any bright ideas. I'm only doing this for the museum sake," Ishizu said before taking a bite out of the finest lobster she had ever dined upon. She felt a bit modest since she was still wearing her normal white attire despite what the other women in the room were dressed in.

"I doubt a woman such as yourself would be accustomed to my lifestyle. I run my life the way I run my business, with my interests foremost." He took a slight sip of the bubbly, before setting it down upon the table. He looked out the window to watch the moon rise.

"I have you know Mr. Kaiba that you're playing a dangerous game," Ishizu warned, also turning to look at the night sky. "If Yugi were to find out…"

"Which is why he won't find out," Seto interrupted. "Besides I doubt he's in any condition to complain?"

"Just what do you mean by that?" _Has he already acted against the Pharaoh already? _Ishizu thought to herself as she faced her companion.

"I fear my brother has been corrupted," Kaiba said bluntly.

"Are you certain?" _Does this also fit into his plans?_

Seto merely nodded, before taking another drink. "The Kaiba mansion was put on alert. We've only done that in trial runs, never in actuality. Whatever Mokuba was doing during that time is beyond even my knowledge. My chief of staff reported only one person being brought in."

"Yugi Moto," Ishizu guessed, which was confirmed by Seto's nod. The tan woman began remembering her times with young duelist.

The young CEO only grunted. "He is vital to my plans. His departure is a setback. A temporary setback."

"I still don't like what you're hinting at," she chided, before digging in again with her meal.

"Come off it. I know you _Isis_. I made you my queen after I displaced the pharaoh. Or perhaps you were named Queen and sole regent?" Seto was enjoying watching Ishizu squirm. "I'm not sure, but it doesn't matter." He took a bite out of his own lobster. "Your spurious attempt at neutrality didn't work then, and your weak attempt now will fail. You were always power-hungry, just like your brother. You just hide it better."

"You're quite mistaken," Ishizu stated, quietly. "If you recall Battle City, I'm currently backing the Pharaoh."

"Only because you had to save your brother. But now that I'm almost rejuvenated, you will waver between that decision of who to trust?" Seto Kaiba smiled. "The Pharaoh who started all this, or the all-knowing High Priest who knows far too much for his own good? I admit, it's not an easy choice to make."

Ishizu carefully fingered the eye of her necklace. "Fate has always guided me."

At this, Seto let lose a small laugh. "Fate is whatever you make of it."

"I've had visions of the future. I've made predictions," she rebutted.

Seto Kaiba laughed even harder at this, causing a few other patrons to look in his direction. "Your predictions were never too close to being accurate."

Ishizu almost choked on her food. "You can't be serious. I know what I saw."

"Even a lowly High Priest has some leverage with the Gods," he stated.

"Have you been manipulating me this entire time?" she asked, stunned. _If Sethos knew that I had to let Seto see his past self to start this grand plan of his…And is he also the reasons why my visions have stopped? No they stopped because he defeated me. Right?_

"You have only been shown what you were meant to see, nothing more and nothing less," the CEO stated matter-of-factly. "To comprehend the Gods designs would be a serious undertaking which few are capable of." He took another sip from his glass.

"You can't be serious." _He can't be serious._

"Dead serious," Seto stated as he wiped his mouth with his red napkin. "Why do you think history does not transcribe the name of the lost pharaoh? Because I ordered all the scribes of Egypt to have his name erased. Even my name has been removed from certain monuments and records after the fact."

"But why?" Ishizu couldn't help but listen. _Is everything I've learned is a lie?_

"Because the Pharaoh who I fought in the past is not the Pharaoh who is trapped in the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi Moto will always be my rival, now and forever. He just doesn't know it yet. But with a little help…from fate…," the CEO twirled his fork in the middle of his lobster.

"There have been a number of other reasons why a pharaoh goes unrecorded in time."

He pulled a chunk of lobster meat and stared at it before putting it in his mouth. "But don't those reasons have a negative connotation to the pharaohs in question?

Ishizu knew the logical jump and tried to defend herself. "Archeology is still a very young science. It hasn't uncovered everything…"

Seto Kaiba again smiled. "You're supposed to have the answers. So tell me, what happened to all the stone tablets that housed these apparent monsters?"

"Only fragments have been discovered."

"But the majority has been lost to the sands of time, no? Tell me, why does Pegasus create the game Duel Monsters just before Yugi Moto receives his famed puzzle?"

"I honestly don't know," Ishizu said. She took a small sip from her own glass.

"Alright then. Tell me, why does the Millennium Puzzle take the form of an inverted pyramid?" Kaiba leaned back in his chair.

"The symbolism of such an artifact seems hardly relevant."

"Only because you don't choose see things as they truly are," he replied. "Didn't Egypt in the past build pyramids _towards the sky?_ What kind of message does it say to the people to have their ruler wear something that points down towards the earth?"

"Suggestive phallic symbolism?" Ishizu ventured a guess._ I really am not in the mindset to debate these things,_ she noted as she felt her head ache softly "I suppose you have all the answers?"

"I have partial answers. But you are a researcher. It is your job to discover these things." Seto took his glass from off the undersized table and emptied it. "Tell me, why did a family of Tomb-keepers of the Pharaoh possess both my Millennium Rod and your Millennium Necklace? Wouldn't it make a lot more sense to hold the Puzzle?" He held his glass and slightly rotated it in the air. "But then it might have posed a significant risk. Imagine what your brother could have done if he had his hands on that, instead of this?" He flashed the golden rod from his seat.

Ishizu was tired of being patronized. "This is just meaningless speculation. It doesn't imply anything."

"I suppose it could be seen that way. But isn't just a bit convenient that each passing day, more of the Millennium Items are coming closer to one another when before they had been scattered throughout time?" Seto set his glass down. "Funny the way fate works, isn't it Ishizu?"

Her eyes widened at the dangerous implication. "This can't all have been planned."

"Remember the requirements that the learned priestly caste had in the past? They had to know how to read and write. That already alienates 70 percent of the population. So what other requirements are necessary for one to become a High Priest? To display sufficient talent to rise above the remaining 30 percent of the population?" He again smiled. "And what was requirement to being Pharaoh? A bloodline. A _royal_ bloodline. That's maybe at most 5-10 percent of the entire population. You do the math of who really ran things during those antiquated times. I'd like to say things have changed in five thousand years. But then again…" Here again Seto shrugged before asking the waiter for another glass of champagne.

"I should have held on to the Millennium Rod," the Egyptian said, regrettably.

At that Seto Kaiba sat up. "No. If you had done that, I would never have recovered my true identity. Don't you see Ishizu, everything is going according to my plans: the plans I made five thousand years ago."

"But things have changed. The world has changed." _Is that his hand on my knee? Why is his hand on my knee?_ Ishizu was somewhat thankful that the red tablecloth extended all the way down to the floor, but couldn't tell if her assumption was true.

"But people have not. Haven't you read Jung? People are based on individual archetypes to serve the whole. I myself am playing a role, just like you are."

_His hand is moving! Closer! _"This is madness!" Ishizu shouted, scooting herself and her chair backwards. "I'm having enough of this!"

"Then let me have what belongs to me: the Millennium Necklace," Seto said calmly, ignoring the additional glances people were giving due to Ishizu's outburst.

"But I gave this to Yugi. It wasn't supposed to come back to me."

"Then it seems you still have a role to play in this drama, don't you?" Kaiba thanked the waiter and brought both of his hands back into view.

"But it doesn't work for me anymore," she stated.

"Are you sure about that? Maybe you only think it doesn't work for you anymore." He rose from his chair. "I'm going to get some air. You should come to; you look slightly flushed."

Ishizu's head was spinning. "Maybe I just need to freshen up."

"I'll be over there then," Seto said, pointing to the outdoor patio area where a few guests were smoking cigarettes.

* * *

Meanwhile, 

Far below where Seto Kaiba and Ishizu Ishtar were, a familiar foursome was trying to find the nearest subway station. Their only light was the light from the street lamps and the lights from buildings.

"Tristan, that was very rude how you behaved in front of Kaiba," Serenity scolded, passing a small restaurant.

"Come on. The guy didn't leave me much choice. Did you see the way he was eyeing you and Nadia? And then how he was blatantly hitting on Ishizu?" Tristan responded. "There's only so much of that I can take." He kicked a can off the sidewalk.

"Well it wasn't like he was threatening us or anything," Serenity stated. She did feel a tinge of excitement when the tall CEO stared at her, but she wasn't going to admit to it. "We weren't in any kind of danger."

"Yeah well, it just bugs me that he can get away with stuff like that," Tristan said, noting that Joey and Nadia were a few steps behind them having their own conversation.

"What gives Nadia?" the blonde duelist asked. "You've been awfully quiet ever since we left the museum."

"It's just that…," she started. Her eyes gave a glance around them. "I can't put my finger on it." She visibly shivered.

"You're just cold. Here you wanna borrow my jacket?" Joey suggested.

"No, thank you," Nadia politely declined. "I feel as though, how you say 'as if we were being watched.'" Her accent did not fail to convey the sense of fear.

"We're out in the middle of Domino," Joey stated. "Nothing that bad happens here."

"Say guys," Tristan said, loudly for everyone to hear, "do you hear that?"

"Hear what Tristan?" Joey asked. He didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. It was quiet.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd that we're in the middle of downtown but there's no city noise?" he stated. "There's no one in sight either."

"You're right!" Serenity said as she began to move closer to the group. The group was moving closer to a nearby building. "Wait, there's someone coming." The footsteps were plainly audible.

"Isn't that Ryu Bakura?" Joey suggested, as he squinted at the figure.

"Close, but look at his face," Tristan pointed out.

"And his eye," Nadia said, visibly shaking. _Oh God, the eye, the eye, he's wearing the Millennium Eye! _She clutched at her purse, which held the Millennium Ring inside.

"Well isn't this a lovely party?" Yami Bakura rhetorically asked. "It's a shame you didn't invite me."

"Bakura! What do you want?" Joey said as he and Tristan came forward to stand between him and the girls.

"Why, I just want to reclaim some missing property," Yami Bakura said simply. He pointed at Nadia. "Your little friend has something of mine and I'm here to get it back. _At any cost!_"


	19. Facing Ghosts from The Past

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh. But I'd be glad to work with them.

**My Notes: **Part 1 of a three, maybe four, part narrative. I'd like to thank Edo's website for many of the cards listed he listed and translated from Japanese, thus saving me time from actually thinking them up. An astute reader has noticed the first plot-hole that I have yet to remedy. Back in chapters 4 or 5, when Shadi uncovers Seto's memories of the High Priest, those aren't _just_ dead memories. That and the continuation of them should be considered real-time events that are _currently going on._ Like this chapter will demonstrate, things are happening roughly at the same time. This is permissible if we allow for the possibility that time is illusionary (a claim old monks and theoretical physicists state). So when I return to Ancient Egypt, those events should be seen as if they were taking place as if it was the present. So when begin to diverge from the memories people speak of the past, that's a subtle hint.

Edited for errors. Thanks **Light** for pointing this out.

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* * *

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**Facing Ghosts from the Past**

"I was wondering when you would join me," Kaiba said as he leaned against railing, allowing him to fully see the full moon high above Domino City.

"Honestly I was waiting for you to come back in. I didn't want come out in the cold. It brings back _bad memories_," Ishizu stated as best she could.

"Are you sure the memories are bad? Perhaps it's only you're perception of them that makes them bad," Seto explained. Confronted with Ishizu's puzzled look, he went on. "Memories are neutral creations that people make. A person's perception of any event changes over time. A childhood memory that was _disturbing _might have served as a very valuable lesson that stays with a person their entire life. And a long cherished memory could have easily been a _lie_."

Ishizu was quick to counter. "But there's other people. They help collaborate in the remembering how events goes." A slight night breeze made her dress ripple.

"Even with people possessing faulty memories, Isis-Nefer?" Kaiba asked with a smirk. "You have yet to demonstrate you contain any knowledge of your former self. And I was so wishing to talk to her and not you."

"I wouldn't even know how to begin…"

He held his Millennium Rod in the moonlight. "Every Millennium Object has certain common powers. But only the proper wielder is able to focus the specific items' unique purpose. You should have been able to recover much of your past simply by gazing into the past. That fact that you cannot…" he stopped to look her directly in the eyes, "is just as equally troubling as Yugi going missing."

Again she had to turn away from his piercing stare. "I never really thought about it…" Ishizu turned back to face him. "What brought this up?"

"There's one memory that I'd change how I remember it."

* * *

"Hey Bakura, this really isn't the time or place!" Joey exclaimed.

"Why I think it's the perfect time." The white haired albino smiled. His familiar light-blue jacket had been replaced by a long black one, concealing most of his body from the light. "After all, with each day passing, we come closer to dying. We need to savor each moment! That is what makes us keep on living."

"Yeah. But you're really starting to freak us out!" Tristan added.

Yami Bakura laughed. "I suppose I would be scared too, especially if you knew what I was going to do to your friend." He turned to give the women a frightful stare. "Nadia! I still haven't forgotten about our duel. You played unfairly and I'm not about to let you get away with that."

"Nadia, what's he talking about?" Joey asked, jerking his head so he could look backwards.

"It's hard to explain…" she began.

"No it's not." Yami Bakura stated. "You simply wish to keep your secrets. But I won't let you," he said brushing his hair out of his eyes. "The all-seeing eye knows all!" The Millennium Eye began to glow.

"No!" Joey said, blocking Bakura from Nadia.

"Wheeler! Don't interfere with things that are beyond your understanding." Yami Bakura cursed.

"Hey! I'm not about to let you hurt her!" The blonde-duelist took up a fighting stance.

The white haired one crossed his arms. "What makes you think you can protect her?"

"This does!" Joey raised his duel disk.

"Are you challenging me to a duel?" the Tomb-raider laughed. "You're far out of your league!"

"Big brother!" the younger Wheeler cried out. "Remember what happened at Battle City!"

"No problem Serenity," Joey said, before turning towards Bakura. "Now are you ready to face me you one-eyed freak?"

"Don't you know you anything Wheeler?" Yami Bakura readied his own duel disk, although it seemed modified. "The Cyclops were among the Gods' ill-begotten children. They put upstarts in their proper place. Such as I will do to you."

"Joey!" The exchange-student called out. "This isn't your fight. You shouldn't get involved."

"It's alright Nadia," Joey said, giving her a wink. "I duel my best when my friend's safety is concerned."

* * *

The woman in white was momentarily speechless. "You mean even the High Priest has regrettable knowledge?"

"Things in the past should have unfolded differently." There was clearly a pained expression on Seto's face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ishizu asked.

"I thought you were cold," he said as the wind blew his overcoat.

"I'll make do," Ishizu said, coming close, using Seto's tall frame as a wind breaker. "Tell me, what's troubling you?"

Kaiba's eyes glanced to make sure no one was around. "When I was simply known as Sethos, and none of this nonsense of being a High Priest or the concerns of Egypt," he whispered, "I lived fairly well. My family and I were what you would call upper-middle class. We weren't royalty, but my father was very influential and very religious. He pulled a few strings and sent both his sons to the Royal Temple for training. I excelled quickly and was advanced several degrees to where even my teachers were of no use.

"One day, I had seen a caravan of slave traders come setting up in the capital. As part of our training, we were allowed to see the various social strata we would eventually have to serve. Only a few of the initiated acolytes were sent off to investigate. When we got there, we found the battered and bruised, the down on their luck, and the foul diseased. It was then that I first knew of the tremendous responsibility that a priest possessed as we spend days attending to those who had the greatest need of physical and spiritual needs. It was over too quick and I never did see any of them again, most bound for lands beyond Egypt's borders."

"That must have been difficult at the time," Ishizu said, agreeing. "Still I think it was necessary at the time, the slavery I mean."

He nodded, understanding. "And that was what I was told. And that's what I believed." Seto's eyes seemed to go out of focus for a moment. "I kept at my studies: I learned of various secrets; the legends surrounding the Millennium Items; long and complicated spells to invoke the gods and demons. Yet I couldn't help but feel that for all I had done was for naught. Then the day of my appointment came…

* * *

"Joey, man, you sure you know what you're doing?" Tristan asked as the two duelists headed into the middle of the street.

"I'm not doing this for Nadia's sake," Joey started, shuffling his deck, "but for Ryu's as well. I know my friend is somewhere in that twisted face."

Yami Bakura feigned a pained groan. "Come now, I have feelings too you know. Like the joy I'll have when you'll see how terribly foolish you are."

Joey shrugged and drew. "I'll start things off with this. The One-Shot Deadly Samurai in Attack Mode (1200/1200)." A tall swordsman appeared, heavily armored in traditional samurai clothing, allowing for streamline attire. Wielding both the long and short blade in both appropriate hands, the samurai stood with its face fearless of whatever may come. "I then place this card face down. Your move."

"Fine. But don't you remember Duelist Kingdom? The Millennium Eye allows me to gaze at whatever pitiful plan you've got up your sleeve. Witness that power again now!" A beam of golden light struck Joey right in the forehead. Yami Bakura smiled. "I won't be fooled so easily. I set one monster in defense mode and place two cards face down as well."

Joey struggled, swaying on his feet. "Alright. If you won't take the bait," he drew another card, "I summon this, Dark Dragon Hatchling (800/500)." A small white egg emerged, cracking in four separate places for four black separate legs. Black wings popped out from the upper part of the shell which was more decorative than functional. "Now tell me, you're not going to let such a cute thing like that stay on the field."

"He does know what he's doing, right?" Nadia asked, almost appalled at such a weak creature being played. "Tell me he knows what he's doing."

"Don't worry," Serenity stated confidently. "My big brother may not look like it, but he's a pro when it comes dueling. I mean after all he was a Battle City Finalist."

"Yeah but so was Bakura," Tristan reminded. "He just came out nowhere with six locator cards. Then when Yugi faced him in the Semi-Finals it took an Egyptian God Card to bring him down."

"What?" _Then if he has Scorching Sekhmet the Keeper, we're going to be a lot more trouble than they can possibly imagine._ Nadia knew that Joey was very outclassed, not having a Millennium Item on hand, nor anything to rival an Egyptian Demon Card. She was loathing to turn to _her_ for help, but she glanced at Serenity. The auburn-haired girl was eagerly watching her brother duel. _If things come to a boil, I'll have to use her._

* * *

"I was nervous, naturally. My future was going to be decided that day." Kaiba laughed. "Hindsight. More than one way." He let his hands touch the railing for support. "Unable to sleep much I took a much needed walk. I didn't care where, just wanted to feel the morning sun on my face before I was ordained. I didn't realize how far I had gotten; I was on the outskirts of the city. A lone slave trader was coming in. I went to talk with him. He wondered if I was going to buy any, not knowing of the rules of the priestly caste. According to the shipment manifest there was a group of slaves that were going well beyond the normal price. I inquired why this was; the answer I received was that their appearance was well out of the ordinary." Here Seto visibly cringed.

"If you don't want to go on…," Ishizu started.

"No, it's better if I get this out of my mind and out of my heart for a while," he interrupted. "In the back of this dingy wagon were so-called refugees as the trader called them. There were only three of them, or so I thought. Two of them were already dead, but the third was a young woman."

Ishizu's eyes widened. _Is it? _"Who was she?"

"She was Kisara."

* * *

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Yami Bakura asked as he eyed the shelled creature. "I've seen worst monsters in my nightmares than that thing."

"It won't be so scary now," Joey said with confidence, "but wait until next turn. Go One-Shot Deadly Samurai attack his face down monster." The dual bladed warrior charged forward and did a double piercing attack against the card's back surface. The attack flipped the down monster face up revealing a green dust cloud, scattering across the field to Joey. "Aw man, what the hell is that smell," he coughed.

"The special effect of my Poison Mummy (1000/1800)," Yami Bakura explained, "Is that when it's flipped up, it releases a poison gas, causing five hundred points of damage: a warning to any would-be thieves." He watched as Joey's life-point counter fell. He grinned as his monster was clearly seen by everyone. A poorly bandaged mummy appeared, its body peeking underneath the wrappings, revealing the gangrene of decay. It remained as if still entombed in a sarcophagus, its arms crossing its chest in an x-position. "But that is nothing compared to sending such a poor creature against monster who doesn't wish to be disturbed," Yami Bakura cackled as Joey loss an additional six hundred points due to the defensive monster's value. "Are you quite done, or would you rather humiliate yourself further?"

_I'm down to only 2900 life-points, _Joey thought."I end my turn."

"Don't worry Big Brother!" Serenity shouted. "You'll get him."

"I don't know," Tristan stated.

"If he keeps making moves like that…," Nadia started._ We're all screwed._

"Don't worry," Serenity smiled. "My big brother always wins, right Tristan?"

"Well he did lose to Kaiba," the pointed-hair one said, "But he did give him a run for his money."

Serenity was obviously flustered. "Yeah well, Kaiba's not here! And Bakura's nowhere Kaiba's skill, right?" She watched Tristan shrug.

_I've got to do something,_ Nadia thought to herself. _I just wish I knew all the powers of the Millennium Ring._ But then a flash of inspiration came. _The Millennium Scales can end this._ Then disappointment. _If I hadn't left them at home, but should I tell them?_

Joey: 2900

Yami Bakura: 4000


	20. Fury's Power

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh. I'm just making it look good.

**My Notes: **Two chapters in one day? You must be thinking, why he's gone crazy. Well now I haven't yet. But I was writing scenes of Ishizu and Seto and well it was over four pages and long exposition (If it was in the anime, they'd litter it with scenes of what he was describing) and that's generally boring. So I began writing of the duel, because at least some action happens in a duel, usually. This was another four pages and they couldn't work as separate chapters. So I split them apart and here we are. Of course don't expect this happen often.

Anyways I'm really tempted to write a Yu-gi-oh GX fic now and maybe sending it off for what's his name to read it. But it's made me think. How am I going to break into the business of writing? Hardly anyone reads anymore. But if anyone wants to go in on making a comic/anime strip thing with me as head writer, I'd be willing to sign on. Future prospects for me when I graduate are pretty slim. It's something to think about. Chapter twenty! Genkai Battle Tatakitsukete Kizutsuitatte Iin Jyanai! (Anyone willing to translate this? I studied Mandarin Chinese which is why this story is in dubbed form).

Edited For Errors.

* * *

**Fury's Power**

Seto Kaiba continued telling his tale. "I stared into her listless eyes, trying to see if there was still life among them. There was, barely. I shouted at the slave trader for allowing such a thing to happen. He only shrugged and said the other slaves had done it. I sat there, stroking her hair, thinking. Knowing I had little time, I bought her then and there and told the trader to go to my father's house. I than ran off to make my examination. I passed, but my inspectors wondered why I hadn't performed as well as I should have. Nevertheless I was to appointed as High Priest and my coronation was a week coming." He stopped, to turn and face the white moon. "It was a proud moment. The work and dedication finally paid off. I should have savored it," his voice sounding very far away. "But immediately I set off for my family home to inquire of my purchase. No one had heard of anything, especially nothing of any slave-trader arriving. Knowing I had been cheated, I took my brother and we scoured the city. When we found that corrupt trader…" Here his fist began to shake.

Ishizu stood quivering, fearing the worst. "Did you _harm_ him?"

"When I found him I asked of Kisara. He denied ever seeing me and made no mention of any slaves for sale. I lost my temper and…," Seto's voice stopped, his eyes shut. "I used the powers of my position. All of them."

"You banished him to the Shadow Realm?"

Kaiba continued as if he hadn't heard. "Using various spells and some familiars I eventually found her a few days later. She was being stoned because of her appearance. I managed to get them to stop, but only because a few of those fools knew that I was soon to be High Priest. They knew the dangers of upsetting one of the most powerful. But I faced a problem."

"Ownership."

* * *

Yami Bakura wasted no time in drawing. "I sacrifice my Poison Mummy to set this face down," he announced, as the rotting carcass was replaced with the backside of yet another card on the field.

"Boring," Joey taunted.

"If only you knew what I knew, then you wouldn't be so quick to protect your _friend._" Yami Bakura grinned, gazing at the ethereal young woman. "Even now, I think she's attempt to leave." His Millennium Eye glinted.

"What?" Joey turned to Nadia, who was several paces away from everyone. He called out her name. "Where do you think you're going? You're going to miss all the action."

"…I…," Nadia then uttered something in her native language.

"You can't run out on us like this," Joey reprimanded.

"Oh well, if you don't want her to run," Yami Bakura said licking his lips, "I can help with that." Another beam of golden light shot forth from his artificial eye, striking Nadia. "Now you'll stay put, for once I'll deal with Joey, I will deal with you _personally._"

"I…I can't move," Nadia voiced with incredible difficulty, she realized how far-reaching her paralyzing was. _Now what I'm going to do?_

"Nadia!" Serenity called out, rushing to the other female of the group.

"Are you alright?" Tristan asked.

"That's it Bakura! Now you've gone too far?" Joey exclaimed.

"Really now?" Yami Bakura smirked. "And just what are you going to do about it? My turn is over."

* * *

"As the incumbent High Priest, I was not allowed to possess any property, let alone a slave," he explained. "To do so would jeopardize my political career, and social standing. When I was ordained and received the Millennium Rod, I made it my first task to find a place of Kisara within society where I could supervise her from a distance. So I contacted various temples and they would receive ample donations, along with a certified list of servants that I personally composed, in exchange for keeping her hidden. It was safe like that, for a while. Until we were found out." Kaiba clearly did not want to go into that, tears coming down his face, along with the sounds of quiet weeping.

Ishizu was silent, only putting her hand in his as a sign of support. _ He cries before me. No one would believe this._

"The last time I saw her," he said, "was when I was cradling her body before the Blue-Eyes White Dragon tablet. I prayed to that great beast to let me avenge her death: To use its awesome abilities to defeat my enemies. And just for one small moment, I thought I heard it call out in Kisara's voice and say 'Let the light of my spirit protect you.' I then began my rebellion in full earnest. I was determined to reforge society make everyone pay for my pain and suffering. I fought and killed with that dragon. I slaughtered any who opposed me without mercy, without hesitation. Until one man stood defiant."

"The ancient pharaoh," Ishizu whispered.

* * *

_Come on Heart of the Cards, _Joey prayed as he drew. He smiled at his luck. "There's a reason why they call this a hatchling. Watch now as we watch this little guy grow up. I can sacrifice this card to summon its adult form." He sent his Dark Dragon Hatchling to the graveyard. And in its place arrived a fiercer dragon. "Meet my Red-Eyes Black Dragon! (2400/2000)." The ebony dragon roared as it settled upon the field, its great wings flapping. Only the trademark bloodshot eyes were detectable in the lean black dragon, its front claws at the ready.

"Alright! Joey's got his Red-Eyes on the Field," Tristan said, still somewhat watching the duel. "There's no way he can lose."

"Go Red-Eyes! Attack with Rushing Swipe," Joey called out.

Yami Bakura only smiled as he watched the dragon tear apart his lone defensive monster. "You activated my monsters' special ability." A spiral of sand surrounded the fearsome dragon and before long an entire sandstorm swept all of Joey's monsters to the graveyard."

"Ahh! My Red-Eyes!" He growled. "What was that?" Joey asked in annoyance.

"This," Yami Bakura held the card in his hand, "Is Sand Specter. When it is revealed, it destroys all face-up monsters." He slid the card into the discard pile. "But you've also allowed the opportunity to activate this." One of his face-down cards, a magic card came to life; a dusty huge tome was displayed with spiders and cobwebs 'decorating' its cover. "Meet the Forbidden Book of Life. It allows me to special summon one of my monsters," he took a card at from his graveyard and set it in defense mode, "while removing your coveted dragon from play."

Joey watched as his Red-Eyes card was sent to a special slot on his duel disk. "I set this face down and end my turn." He held two cards in his hands and two cards were covered on the field.

"Come on man, don't give up!" Tristan yelled.

_I have to act now if we have any chance of surviving this game, _Nadia thought to herself. _Let's hope she's the one._ She let her mind go as the Millennium Ring activated from safe within her purse. One of its pointers faced Serenity Wheeler.

Serenity inwardly gasped. A cold, clammy feeling reached out at the young girl's spine. She was going to say something before her mind was flooded with images. The picture that was recognizable to the young girl's mind was the distinct shape of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and of the Pyramids of Egypt; everything else moved too fast to note. _What's…?_ Serenity thought to herself.

_We have little time, _a voice within her spoke. _Listen and obey._

* * *

The hem of Kaiba's white coat was wrapping the two together, neither of them realizing they were the only ones out there. "And this is where my memory breaks apart, shatters like so many glass shards. Did I really defeat him? I honestly don't know. Yet I have memories of ruling after him. I sealed him in his puzzle as penance, right? Because I know, I know he was the evil one, the one responsible for Kisara's death. But if he won, then how does play into my plans? In order to create my plans, I needed to glimpse into the future, to find someone to replace him. But to that, I would have needed a prophetess. I still do, to answer my nagging doubts."

Ishizu knew what that meant. "But we have no way of knowing if what you've said is true or not."

"Yes we do." He turned around, glanced at her neckline. "Would you still deny me this one last favor, Isis-Nefer? Even after I made you my queen?"

"But I…," Ishizu stuttered.

"Even though you could never replace her," Seto Kaiba's hands reached out to both sides of her face, caressing it softly.

_This can't be happening, we only just...this doesn't make sense…_ Ishizu's thoughts ran rampant all over the place. Then from out of nowhere a terrifying light came crashing down, lighting up downtown Domino, partially. "Wait, what's that?"

The light formed into a golden creature standing just as tall as Obelisk would have. "Sekhmet." Kaiba stared for a moment before pulling out a cell phone. "Is my satellite still tracking all duel disks? Uh huh. Who's currently dueling right now? Grr. Give me a location. Got it, send the chopper to my location _now_."

"What's going on?" Ishizu said.

Kaiba seemed to have regained his former attitude. "That monster holds a part of my memory. I must reclaim it!"

* * *

"I suppose it would have been more of a challenge," Yami Bakura said as he drew another card into his hand, "if I didn't already know what you planning in your pathetic little mind."

"Who you calling pathetic?" Joey asked, raising both of his fists to the ready.

The sinister duelist pointed. "You are. If you could only comprehend the powers and forces you are reckoning with, you would easily back down. I am nothing like Marik or Pegasus: their scopes were futile, both never knowing of the grand design." He craned his neck, as if attempting to break it himself.

"Just what are you talking about?!" Joey yelled.

"Yeah man, you're our friend," Tristan also shouted. "You're supposed to be on our side."

"Friends? No, not with such pitiable humans." Yami Bakura's black jacket ruffled in the wind. "I've waited five thousand years for this moment, and I won't let it slip away by any bumbling fools who don't even know the game they play." He played one monster in defense mode, and then activated his other face-down card. "This is Ultimate Offering. For a mere five hundred life points, I can summon another monster on the field." Another monster was set before Bakura signaled to Joey to make his move.

"Whaddya mean game they play?" Joey asked in annoyance as he drew one card into his hand._ This sucks. I got no monsters on the field. But so far all he's done is defend. He must be preparing for something big. Wait a minute. Three monsters on the field? Could he have taken one of Yugi's Egyptian God Cards? _"I got nothing," he said ending his turn, and preparing for the worse.

Yami Bakura slid one card from his deck. "Finally," he said mostly to himself. "Now foolish mortal, you shall see the true dangers that are awaiting you. I sacrifice these three monsters to bring forth the Egyptian Demon, Scorching Sekhmet the Keeper!"

For a brief moment, it was as if night had become day, as a shining ball of light, like a small moon, crashed before Yami Bakura's feet. Intense heat struck everyone making it hard to see what kind of monster this was. After adjusting to the light, you could see a lion's head with mane. It was upon a huge humanoid frame, just as tall as Obelisk was. Sekhmet was garbed in a stiff sarong that covered most of her body. Twin daggers, like large kitchen knives, were in both of her hands. She continued to flame just like the sun, never once stopping giving off that radiating golden light.

Joey only uttered a single curse.

Joey: 2900

Yami Bakura: 3500


	21. Eye of the Storm

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My notes:** This is me stalling. This is me deliberately trying to slow this down, because really I have no idea what Joey could possibly do to save himself. And I was going to post this before I got to class, but it wasn't ready. Anyways, I'm wondering if you, my wonderful readers, could you know, summarize the entire story's events? I mean, I know what's going on, but I don't know if you guys really know what's happening. I don't know if I've been as straight-forward as I could be. And a lot of stuff has happened. Maybe I should add a 'what happened in the last chapter' summary at the start of each new chapter like they do in the show? Just a thought. And apparently doesn't like us pasting websites or email addresses in reviews. So I guess we're going to have be a bit more subtle, spelling things out. Anyways enjoy this stalling filler. I'll try to aim for a suitable conclusion for the next chapter, just so I can end my agony over this unfair duel.

**

* * *

**

**Eye of the Storm**

_Listen and obey._ The voice echoed within Serenity's mind over and over, modulating in pitch and sound. It was if the voice was stretching the young girl's sense of hearing.

_Who…?_ was Serenity's only coherent thought. But this was drowned out by the reverberating voice. The wildly cascading colors of her vision seemed to sharpen to a point in the middle of the night sky. At first, Serenity couldn't see anything. But then she saw it: a black helicopter, the kind a news station would own, was fast approaching. There was nothing else she could tell other than that.

_Convince those on board to take you here._ Just as unexpectedly that vision came, another appeared showing a house in the middle of the suburban sprawl. It was a green house, matching trees surrounding it as if it were a barricade. A house number was seen on the mailbox, along with a corresponding street name.

_But…! _Serenity tried to voice before the vision in her mind changed again. This time a golden antique scale was seen. Each of the saucer-like containers was level with the parallel supporting balance beam. This was intersected by a support shaft onto which the entire scales would be stood upright upon. An all-too familiar eye symbol was emblazoned on the top of the support beam. _Retrieve!_ the commanding voice uttered before telescoping out to a view of a bed, which then telescoped to a room, which showed which room it was located in the house seen before.

_Hurry…!_

* * *

Joey stood there with his mouth open knowing that within seconds he was going to be severely maimed by the massive creature standing before him. He knew that nothing in his hand or on the field was going to help him at that very moment, but he needed a way to buy some time. And not knowing what to do, he did what he always knew always worked. He began to improvise and shoot his mouth off. "Ahh! That's just like you Bakura! Always hiding in the shadows, never letting anyone know what's going on, keeping to yourself! That's not normal, that's downright freaky!"

"Who are you to dictate social norms to me?" Yami Bakura asked, obviously amused by this last ditch effort.

"I'm the one who's actually in society!" Joey pronounced. "Sure it ain't perfect, and I ain't either, but that doesn't mean I go running away from it!" He racked his brain, thinking of somewhere he could go with this, without angering Bakura. "I mean, look at us. Here we are, out in the middle of the street, at an indecent hour, playing a card game. This is not what normal people do!"

"Yeah!" Tristan shouted. "I'm supposed to be getting my beauty sleep soon." He was oblivious to the fact that both women had grown awfully silent.

Yami Bakura smiled. "Then let me attack so we can end this _forever_."

Joey jumped back, exclaiming, "That's not what I meant!"

"Then quit your stalling," Bakura growled.

"I'm not stalling," Joey protested, though in his mind he thought differently. "I'm just saying. Look, the way I see it, there's something very wrong with ya. I mean, who in their right mind would want to shove a piece of metal into their own eye-socket?"

"Those who covet power," Yami Bakura said as he licked his some of his own dried blood off his face. Everyone momentarily gagged, wondering at the length of his tongue.

"Yeah but…," Joey had to pause. _Man that was sick._ Recovering from the gross display, he continued. "But where did it get Pegasus? Or Marik? They had a whole bunch of power, but in the end they were defeated by it."

"Nonsense," Yami Bakura said, shaking his head. "Don't prattle on how Yugi the pharaoh was destined to defeat all these evils. He is no better than you or me."

Joey violently shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. Yugi's the greatest guy I know. He's got a heart of gold. He could never hurt anyone."

"Sounds like a different Yugi to me. To me, he's nothing more than a common thug. He duels like a man possessed." Yami Bakura smirked at the irony. "Because he is."

"Look I'm not saying he doesn't get a bit carried away at times…," Joey started.

"Then what are you saying because I am growing _very _tired of all this," Yami Bakura interrupted. "Yugi has a monster as strong as this, three even. And he too carries a 'piece of metal' that grants him incredible powers. Yet you defend him as if he was some kind of saint." The white-haired one pointed at Joey. "I tell you again, there is no difference between him and me. I am at least more open about my intentions. I mean to reclaim a piece of stolen property. Is that so wrong?"

Joey knew he had to give in to that kind of reasoning. "So is it true then Nadia? Did you take a something of his?" He went over to the girl in question.

Nadia was quiet, but only because she was in trance and using the Millennium Ring and not attempting to hide her guilt. Not to mention still paralyzed by the Millennium Eye.

"If you check her purse, you will find the item in question," Yami Bakura informed.

"Dude, what are you doing? You're not actually listening to him, are you?" Tristan asked, as Joey opened Nadia's purse.

"I don't have much of a choice," he said as he rummaged through her things. His hands touched a gold object, slowly revealing the Millennium Ring.

"Don't you remember, that thing is evil," Tristan reminded.

"I know," the blonde duelist said. "But there's got to be a way to stop Bakura and not let him get his hands on it again." _Come on Joey, think! What would Yugi do at a time like this? _Inspiration struck him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Yami Bakura shouted as he watched Joey Wheeler put the ancient item around his own neck. The Ring lay innocently against the blue-white background of Joey's T-shirt.

"Look. I'm not saying this doesn't belong to you," Joey began, "but I was called upon to defend a friend who needed my help. And since we're in the middle of a duel, I can't just hand this thing to you without you winning the duel first. It just wouldn't be far, you know?"

Yami Bakura smiled. "Then I shall stop prolonging my victory now."

"Not so fast!" Joey interrupted. "A true duelist is prepared for all kinds of situations. All I ask is for one turn to draw the card I know is in my deck that can at least defend myself against your monster."

"And why should I give you that kind of mercy?"

"Because what are the odds that I'll actually draw something worthwhile? Just one turn."

"Then instead of slaughtering you outright," Yami Bakura said, irritated, "I shall activate one of Sekhmet's numerous special abilities. By paying five hundred life-points, I shall allow her to throw one of her daggers at you." The lion-headed combatant raised one of her twin daggers, her arm pulled back poised, and pointed its tip directly at Joey.

"Aw crap," the blonde duelist said aloud. He shut his eyes, instinctively putting his arms up, waiting for the blow. _This is going to hurt, this is going to hurt, this is going to hurt..._Joey's mind kept repeating. Tristan, likewise, shut his eyes, not wanting to see what was going to happen.

An audible thud was heard. Only Yami Bakura's laughter echoed in the silence. But even that would be drowned out by a portentous whirling sound that was fast approaching.

* * *

"Take us down," Seto Kaiba ordered his helicopter pilot.

"Beginning our descent," the pilot acknowledged.

_This wasn't how I was expecting this evening to go, _Ishizu thought as the craft lurched itself forward. She and Seto were seated directly behind the cockpit, allowing them full access to the scene ahead. Though she couldn't see who the duelists were, the monster that Seto called Sekhmet appeared. The only Sekhmet she knew of was that of a goddess. _She was a daughter of Ra who slaughtered mankind for their wickedness. The monster down below looks very similar to the carved statues uncovered in numerous tombs and temples,_ Ishizu noted. _Only by tricking Sekhmet with vast amounts of blood-colored beer did she stopped her carnage, a feat that the priests would perform yearly to pacify her rage._ Ishizu shot a knowing glance at Kaiba. _If he really is the High Priest Sethos, then it would make sense to create a monster that inspired an untold amount of fear. _

He noticed her stare. "What is it?" Kaiba asked.

"It's just…," Ishizu bit her lip. He motioned for her to continue. "I just don't know if I should trust you." She watched the buildings blurring.

"You shouldn't," Seto said bluntly, though it was muffled by the overhead rotating blades.

"What was that?"

He looked over at her. "You have no right to trust me. All I could have told you could have been lies. You have no way of knowing." He smirked. "But I did host a Duel Monsters tournament based on some crazy advice. And look how well that turned out."

The Egyptian nodded. "All because I influenced you."

"Who says I'm not doing the same thing for my own goals?" The helicopter touched down upon the street pavement. The CEO slid open the copter's door and ducked as he exited. Ishizu did the same. "Wheeler! What do you think you're doing?"

The blonde duelist was still in a self-protective position. "Kaiba?" he whispered. Joey cracked one eye open. "Kaiba!" he shouted as he patted himself all over his body. "I'm still alright!" he exclaimed, laughing.

Tristan opened his eyes as well. "You may want to reconsider that opinion," he yelled over the roar of the helicopter and pointed back in Bakura's direction.

The first thing Joey saw when he turned was the massive blade right in front of him, only inches away. He cried out in surprise seeing how close it was. Then he realized what was wrong. "What's going on Bakura?" he asked as he leaned to one side to see his formidable adversary.

Yami Bakura's wore a mask of hostility. He had watched the helicopter's descent to this makeshift arena, and his eyes were screaming fury when Seto Kaiba stepped out of it. _The High Priest himself comes to watch this duel. Perhaps I have played this card too soon. No matter._ "Sekhmet's special ability allows her to place a physical blocker on my opponent's field." He pointed down and watched as Joey's eyes following. His two face down cards were now on either sides of the massive dagger, whereas before they were displayed together. "Her dagger blocks up to three slots on either the monster zone, or the magic/trap zone." He gave the same grin he had before. "Since you already have two cards face down, I decided that you didn't need to play any more face-down magic or trap cards. And I doubt you have any kind of monster that might stand up to the strength of Sekhmet. Let's see what one pathetic turn can do."

"Wheeler! What have you gotten yourself into?" Kaiba growled. "And what are you wearing?" Then without warning, his private helicopter took off again. "What is going on here?

"Serenity just jumped into that helicopter and the guy just took off!" Tristan shouted.

"What?" the CEO yelled. He was pulling out his cell-phone until a hand, Ishizu's, stopped him.

"Don't Kaiba! She's not acting of her own free will," Ishizu stated. "At least that's as far as I could tell."

Seto checked his Millennium Rod. It lay dormant, and he growled at having no explanation. "Let her enjoy her joyride then. The copter will come back." He turned his eyes back towards the duel, especially trying to figure out who had possession of Sekhmet. "Bakura," he whispered. The young CEO crossed his arms, resigned to watching this duel play itself out. "Well Wheeler, let's see if you're ready to tackle one of the greatest challenges of your dueling career. What pathetic move can you make to save your own hide?"

The Millennium Ring chimed against Joey's chest. "Kaiba! I'm in the middle of something here," Joey shouted as he prepared to make his draw. _And it's got to be good. Real good. Come on deck, don't fail me now._

Joey Wheeler: 2900

Yami Bakura: 3000


	22. Defying Odds

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes: **I think I let Bakura play Sekhmet too early. It's one thing to have a magical item help you win duels. It's another to have a 'supposedly' unbeatable card in your deck. I'm hoping I don't have to write another duel again for a long time, like a few weeks, because it's really hard to keep them interesting. I mean, there's only so many ways you can say: play this in attack mode, play this face down, reveal my trap card…etc. Did I mention I hate writing duels? Course it would be better if I were better at the card game. In other news, a friend let me borrow Xenogears so I might be MIA for some days. I was arguing with myself whether I could slide writing just so I could play it, but then it wouldn't be fair to you my readers. Anyways we'll probably be going back to Ancient Egypt, just so I can do more character development for Kisara. Despite all the hype and referencing I've given her, we don't know enough about her to really care what happens to her, and that is vital to this story. And hopefully this chapter is typo free.

**

* * *

**

**Defying Odds**

"I summon this, Building-Block Soldier in attack mode (1500/1650)," Joey called out. A composite red, green, and white bulky combatant appeared on the field; small blocks of itself falling onto the street. It highly resembled the construction a young child would make, the creature possessing limbs too short or long.

"Looks like Wheeler misses his childhood," Kaiba proclaimed to everyone.

Yami Bakura was not impressed. "That's the card you kept me waiting for? That thing will not stand against the might of Sekhmet. Attack now with Destined Blade Assault." The mighty giant gave a loud roar from her lion mouth, as she clutched her one remaining dagger in the grip of her two hands, and ran over and sliced the constructed warrior with a downward swipe. The white-haired duelist smiled, but it didn't last for long. "What?!"

Three smaller Building-Block Soldiers were upon the field, each 1/3 the size of the original. The grin on Joey's face was wide. "I guess you never played with blocks when you were a kid. Don't you know, you can always make more things, as long as you got enough pieces. That's the special effect of Building-Block Soldier; if it's attacked by a monster with over 2500 attack points it can divide itself into three smaller versions and I don't lose any life-points."

"Alright man! Nice move!" Tristan applauded.

Kaiba, of course, only grunted. "Don't congratulate him just yet. Those smaller soldiers each have an attack of 500 points and they're still in attack mode. Bakura's definitely got plenty of monsters stronger than that."

Right on cue, Yami Bakura summoned a second monster to the field. "Meet my Shambling Corpses! (1500/1500)" A small group of recent undead, as evident from their tattered clothing and still mostly intact bodies, appeared on the field. The troop seemed composed of a family, evident by the small child. This new monster clearly unnerved everyone present, save for the albino. "Attack my undead!"

"Not so fast!" Joey announced. "I activate this, Fairy Box!" One of his two face-down cards appeared, showing a crude whack-a-mole game found at most arcades.

"More of his childhood," Tristan said, agreeing with Kaiba.

"I'm not surprised," Yami Bakura stated, his Millennium Eye glinting in the street light.

Joey was even more than giddy. "Then you should know what it does. Whenever a monster attacks, Fairy Box make a random coin-toss to see whether my monsters are even there for you to attack." An old children's song hummed from the box, ending on a favorable note. "Alright! My monsters are safe, while your Shambling Corpses attack points go down to zero."

The group of living dead was immediately destroyed by one small Mini Building-Block Soldier. Yami Bakura's life-point counter rolled back to 2500. A small growl emerged from his throat. "Don't think you're little ploy will work on Sekhmet. She's of divine origin," he announced as he ended his turn.

"Way to go! Now Joey has taken the lead," Tristan exclaimed.

"There's only 400 points separating them," Seto said. "That's nothing to get excited over."

While Joey drew his next card, Ishizu was carefully attending to the paralyzed red-haired girl. Her investigations provided much of what had gone on. _My Millennium Necklace would be able to break this shadow spell cast upon her,_ Ishizu thought, _but then I risk using its powers when they haven't worked for me in so long. Do I dare chance it?_ The sight of the sleeping upright girl did give her pause. _I'll have to. I cannot but help those in evil's grasp._ She closed her eyes, and quietly hummed an Egyptian prayer. So unknown to her was the Millennium Necklace's golden light.

_...my spirit protect you._ Ishizu's mind was bombarded by a slight from the ancient past. The ancient High Priest stood there with a body in his arms. He stood before a stone tablet, displaying the one of the greatest duel monster, the Blue Eyes White Dragon. The same sight that had distressed her earlier in the evening still did. Seto Kaiba, despite his form, simply _did not_ cry.

But the vision quickly changed. Ishizu found herself in the middle of the royal palace. And there, she found _herself?_

"_He is becoming a rouge threat," Isis-Nefer informed the Pharaoh. "It is dangerous to trust him."_

"_That is my concern alone," the unnamed Pharaoh told her; he seated upon his royal throne flanked by loyal soldiers. "It is not so much that I don't trust him, but he has brought me information that cannot be obtained anywhere else."_

"_Still, I must object!" Isis-Nefer protested._

_This apparently angered the Pharaoh. "You are out of line. What I do with the Millennium Items is no concern of a mere _Prophetess."

_The face on Isis-Nefer was priceless. "But…"_

"_Especially a _false_ prophetess…"_

Before Ishizu could soak in all the available information that was coming at her, her mind played one more scene from the ancient past, for her to accept and process without question.

_The High Priest Sethos sat in the same throne that she had seen before. "So you see Isis-Nefer, I had little choice but to _remove_ our petty ruler. It was in Egypt's best interests to have a _competent _ruler."_

"_But you, yourself, admit that this is only a temporary measure," Ishizu's ancient counterpart voiced. "Sooner of later, you're going to have to face him."_

"_Later is a better time than now." The High Priest straightened in the royal throne. "Besides, my plan entails me to reawaken first in the far future. I highly doubt that the Millennium Puzzle will ever leave Egypt's sands, and with that certainty I can afford certain indulgence." The High Priest Sethos gave Isis-Nefer that same smirk, filled with untold dangers. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a country to run."_

The visions ended, and while a momentarily stunned Ishizu was reeling. She almost didn't have enough time to catch a falling Nadia, who was now free from Yami Bakura's shadow spell. The girl still lay unconscious in the older woman's arms, but it seemed little concern. _My visions,_ Ishizu thought to herself.

_I've got a big decision to make. If I switch my monsters to defense mode,_ Joey mused,_ then I'll be able to protect myself from Sekhmet. But if I leave them in attack mode, then they'll still be in a position to destroy Bakura's monsters, if they fail the Fairy Box test. _The blonde duelist stood his ground well, despite the slight breeze of warmth that was coming from Sekhmet. _I'll have to play it safe. Fairy Box isn't a reliable failsafe._ Five hundred life-points were deducted from Joey's total, the price for Joey to keep that trap card on the field. "I switch all my monsters to defense mode." _I'd play this magic card, except I don't have a place to play it._ Joey's hand consisted of four cards.

"My move," Yami Bakura announced. "I set one monster on the field then let Sekhmet attack one of your puny defensive monsters." The goddess/demon struck with her dagger and destroyed one of the block constructed warriors. _The fool doesn't know,_ the black-jacket duelist thought, _that by placing the Millennium Ring around his neck, he is temporarily blocking my efforts to read his mind. Of course I won't tell him that little detail. _Two cards remained in his hand as Yami Bakura ended his turn.

_What am I going to do? _Joey thought as he drew his next card._ Nothing I have is capable of tackling an Egyptian Demon. _"I play this card, Mystic Space Typhoon and remove my other face down card."A bolt of lightning struck the back of the card, and a small whirlpool emerged, sucking it down, freeing one slot on his magic/trap zone. "And now I play Swords of Revealing Light." Massive cross-like swords of white light littered Bakura's side of the field. The swords also reversed Bakura's one face-down monster.

A strange pale purple worm monster appeared, its mid-section composed of ribbed sections, with two weak arms that seemed to function as front legs. Its face was composed of two distinct features: one of a stretched features; the other a feminine face that extended itself out to the creature's hair. "Nuvia the Wicked (2000/800)," Yami Bakura announced. "It unfortunately loses 200 attack points for every monster on your side on the field. Thus it only has 1600. But I will soon remedy that."

"I'll end my turn," Joey said, feeling very discouraged. _This duel will never end._

"Man, Joey's in a tough pickle," Tristan commented.

"Agreed," Kaiba said. "There's no monster in his deck that can rival the Egyptian Demon. No magic or trap cards affect it, or even if they do, their effects last for only one turn only. And with Fairy Box on the field, he will constantly be losing life-points every turn." He turned to look at the white-haired duelist. "I don't doubt that Bakura can easily end this. I think he's waiting for Joey to admit defeat."

"But Joey doesn't bow down to any kind of pressure," the pointed-hair one said.

"I know," Seto Kaiba admitted. "Which is why this duel is going to be dragged on to the bitter end."

"I draw," the possessed duelist announced. "I play this, Lightning Boltecks. By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy all your face-up monsters on the field." By sliding one card into the graveyard, a series of bright light sparks shot across the field and turned the remaining Building-Block Soldiers to nothing more than melted plastic. "Now there is nothing more to protect you from the wrath of Sekhmet!" Yami Bakura laughed. "Are you prepared to meet a divinity, or will you be reasonable and concede the match?"

_But I made a promise to Nadia!_ Joey's eyes turned back to the now safely resting young woman, who was being attended to by Ishizu. _I can't break a promise. But it seems so hopeless._ His mind briefly recalled the image of his sister jumping into the black helicopter. _At least Serenity's not here to see this._ He sighed, weary from the duel. "This has gone far enough," he said quietly.

Yami Bakura's eyes lit up. "Remove the Millennium Ring from around your neck and hand it over." All the monsters on the field disappeared from view.

"Wheeler," Kaiba said, his tone trying in his fashion to soothe the blonde duelist and also show that this defeat isn't a critical loss.

Joey didn't realize the subtle message. "It's alright Kaiba. Yugi will be around to do some major butt-kicking," he voiced as he held the ring before it was snatched away by a greedy hand.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Yami Bakura taunted. "I have a feeling that he is quite indisposed at the moment." That phrasing garnered a mean glance from Seto Kaiba, which the white-haired duelist shot back. "Interesting times are ahead, are they not? The careful planning of the ancient past will hopefully come to fruition." He shook the ring, and was pleased when all the pointers darted in the directions of all the Millennium items present. "With a bit of luck, the _scales of balance_ will remain in a state of perfect equilibrium." He draped the Millennium Ring around his neck, which shimmered a golden light. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have great business ahead of me that I must take care of." And with that and a well placed laugh, Yami Bakura departed from everyone's sight, despite the glow of the moonlight.

"Well what do we do now?" Tristan asked as Joey joined them.

"We regroup and prepare," Kaiba announced as he took out his cell phone.

* * *

Meanwhile, 

Serenity's small delicate hand gripped the base of the Millennium Scales tightly, as if she was afraid that letting go would bring about the end of the world. The balance seemed steady, despite the vigorous trembling Serenity was unconsciously doing. "I promise to honor my pledge," she said quietly. "The pledge of my life to serve you, now and forever." Tears began to form, which were highly unusual on the young girl's face. "Now let us see your justice be done."

* * *

Also meanwhile, 

Under the careful and guarded watch of KaibaCorp's finest surveillance video cameras, the young guest, known as Teá Gardner, who was staying in one of guest rooms at the Kaiba compound tossed and turned in her induced sleep. Beads of perspiration formed on her forehead, her face a veil of frustration. The staff monitoring this troubling rest heard her say two important words: "_Pharaoh_ _Yugi_."


	23. Impromptu Preparations

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

**My Notes: **I humbly apologize for this long gap of time between updates. There's no real good excuse, it's a combination of things: massive writer's block, Xenogears, filling out internship applications, domestic problems, getting roped into helping a friend with a film project, depression, alcohol. Well alcohol did help me write this chapter, but I **do not** **encourage** getting drunk and then writing except in the **most dire** consequences. Anyways I'll try not to let it happen again. For some good news, I turn 24 in two days, officially making me old. Very, very _old_. _Ancient_. Anyways here's a chapter that I hated writing because I hated writing it. But it gets me going into rhythm, which I hopefully won't fall out of. Oh yeah, I remembered why I didn't want to update immediately. Cause the date showed that I'd been working on this story for three months! Three months of work! Remind me never to write another story for a very long time! I'm kidding, I think.

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**Impromptu Preparations**

The High Priest's days had been monotonous, to say the least. He had inspected the quarry that was necessary for the needed limestone. He had several conferences with many of architects that had laid groundwork for the temple complex, and spend a few nights confirming the ground alignment with regards to the stars. He watched with insipid attention the carving works of the various sculptor s each depicting the same image repeated over and over while another group of painters were each discussing the future murals that would be needed once all the walls were up. He hardly had a moment to himself.

The above was all the more reason why he was savoring this simple moment. The High Priest was wide awake in the middle of the night listening to the symphony that was unfolding. Seated at a borrowed desk, Sethos enjoyed the sounds of soft warm breezes that were comforting to his ears. _Much needed silence,_ he thought to himself. He would retire in one hour, which seemed far too short compared to the work that he faced the next day.

The knock at his door broke the dreamy spell. "Come in," Sethos said, with slight annoyance. His lion-haired brother came in, tucked under his arms were several scrolls. "What's all this?"

"Mail, honored brother," Menkura stated. "You're still an important as ever," he added as he started placing the scrolls neatly on one of the room's tables.

The taller brother rose from his work. "Whose has been sending these?"

"This one's from the Pharaoh, this one's from the Prophetess, this one is from father…," the young sibling pointed out one at a time.

"They must think I'm taking a holiday out here," Sethos exclaimed, shuffling through the mass of them. He broke the royal seal off a random one and read the parchment. His face stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Menkura asked curiously.

"Recent troop movements of the army are heading northward. There is a breach in the country's defenses." The High Priest returned to the desk and unrolled a map and exchanged glances between the scroll and the map. "Multiple breaches are along these points," Sethos said as his finger traced an unnatural line on the map.

His younger brother came and looked at the map. "But honored brother, that path is along the desert's edge. Surely we can't expect an attack from that direction."

_I haven't told him of the sorcerers in the area. _"That's not the important point. All stationed garrisons are now two days away at full horseback. If anything were to happen here," Sethos squarely pointed at the town they were currently occupying, "to send for and receive reinforcements would take upwards of four days, at least." His brow furrowed.

Menkura seemed unfazed, and smiled. "Yeah but that's not going to be a problem because you're here. I'm sure you'll find a plan to deal with this." When his brother merely grunted, it signaled to him that it was time to leave quietly. Taking a spare torch from off the wall, he exited the room, watching his brother mutter words as he pulled parchment and scrolls from various locales.

_To defend a settlement this far out,_ the High Priest mused, _will require a siphoning of the labor force, which will only serve to delay the Temple's construction. _Sethos' eyes wandered the map and tried to recall where the recent attacks were and noticed an odd pattern. _These sorcerers are attempting to divert attention from the south. But what could be happening in the south? The rulers of the Nubians know better than to invade, so what could the reason. I'll have to investigate this possibility soon. _

* * *

The High Priest's face was engraved with the signs of sleep deprivation: the bags under his eyes; the slight disorder of his hair; the lips curled in an unnatural sneer. Anyone familiar with Sethos' behavioral habits knew these were all clues of the great possibility of provoking his wrath. So the wise complied with his every request while the foolish irked his patience.

It was a little a few hours after the morning sunrise, with the daily hustle and bustle of the town in full swing. Decked out in full battle regalia, Sethos was leading a small group of priests, along with a few armed escorts, to various parts of the town. The Millennium Rod served as a pointer as he began his lectures. "All summoned monsters are vulnerable to simple traps. This is due in part to the summoner's mind-spirit. An inexperienced sorcerer's monster will tax his mind greatly. Since most of that effort is directed towards maintaining a beast that does not truly exist here, both the summoner and the monster will be dulled and both can be lured into a trap." He removed a piece of parchment and pointed down upon the ground. "Typically the best places to inscribe these traps are upon the earth, though upon walls and doors will work just as well if they are available. An effective radius of the trap depends on the size of the creature in question so its truly variable rule. However if you place the same trap about five paces away, the two should be able to catch any stray monster that comes within this direction."

A hand was raised from one of the younger priests. Sethos acknowledged the question, though it broke his routine. "How many monsters can a sorcerer summon?"

"Typically no more than five and that's exceptionally rare." The High Priest raised his badge of office. "This Millennium Item allows me greater mental control over my monsters. Thus anyone wielding one of these is to be attacked immediately, unless you have undeniable proof that they haven't betrayed Egypt."

The younger priest seemed to be in shock. "So we are authorized to attack you, or even the pharaoh?"

Sethos smiled sinisterly. "If we interfere with your current objectives, do not hesitate to bring your own monsters to the field of battle. Just be prepared to deal with whatever monsters are in our possession, for they may be far out of your league." His mood changed as he watched the new priests discussing that fact among themselves. "I've heard rumors that the pharaoh has something called a 'god-monster.' So you'd best be wary, if you decide to face any of the ordained guardians of Egypt.

"Moving on, if you manage to defeat a monster that a rogue sorcerer has summoned, not only do you return the monster back to its plane of existence, but you do damage to the summoner himself. You will ultimately strike the mind-spirit which will weaken its hold on the physical body. A severe enough blow may even separate the mind-spirit from the body, rending the sorcerer ineffective for a small period of time. But realistically, the more you weaken a sorcerer's mind-spirit, the less he will be able to summon any further monsters and the greater the difficulty he will have controlling the ones already under his control. Once control has been lost, conventional weapons will prove effective against the sorcerer."

The High Priest took a spear from one of armed soldiers before twirling it around in complex combatant positions. "All priests are expected to be fully capable wielding a sword or spear in addition to the spells and monsters in your codex," he said as he planted the spear's end on the ground. "As you move up the ranks, your fighting ability should move up as well. Mental progress should increase steadily as you handle more complex monsters. If you cannot withstand the pressure and demands of serving the divine and of Egypt, you will be effectively transferred to the Scribe Caste. Failing that, you will rejoin society again. So I will ask again, are you prepared to serve the Gods and Egypt?"

Many were very impressed with the High Priest's skills and all the young priests answered in the affirmative. "Very well," Sethos stated. "Guards, escort the new inductees to their chambers and have them familiarize themselves with the area around the temple."

One of the guards reclaimed his spear. "Are you sure it's wise to have new priests overseeing this temple, sir?" he asked, and who also bore and uncharacteristic resemblance to Kaiba's guard Roland.

"They will be placed officially in charge after we leave the area. We still have a few more tasks to attend to before we make it home to the capital. Make sure to station our undercover soldiers near the sites we inspected today. It should provide a loose parameter for the settlement, if we need it."

"Of course, your eminence. But won't you be needing escort?"

"No one will attack a holy man as he is heading towards his place of work, save the weak and foolish. I will not be harmed." Sethos watched his armed detachment walk off before he too marched off alone. Off in the distance, he could see the partially built shell of the future shrine. He went about his way uninterrupted, until he heard some shouting and someone ran into him. "What is the meaning of this?!" Sethos shouted as he turned to the scene that was unfolding.

A young woman was holding on to his belt before kneeling at his feet. Shouts were coming from a merchant, who was coming from his vegetable stand. As he stared at the young woman at his feet, he mentally cursed her name. Sethos crossed his arms and waited for the merchant to plead his case.

"Your eminence! This mere slave was caught stealing my produce. I demand justice! Retribution! The laws must be held in place!"

The royal official merely took out a small sack and threw it at the petty merchant. "That should cover your loss, no?"

"But my lord! What about her punishment?!" the bearded merchant asked frantically.

"She is but a slave," the High Priest started, his anger starting to boil again. "Everywhere she will go; she will be shunned due to her status. The only hope of her future is if she manages to work off her debt, and considering this one has been trouble more times than I'd like to remember, she effectively has no future to speak of. Her master will punish and will not spare the rod on such a frail body. To kill her is no great loss and to sever a limb would only make her a more useless slave. Is this not punishment enough?"

The merchant was obviously taken aback. "The High Priest is most wise," he said as he kneeled.

"You may go," Sethos said before turning his attention to the truant slave. "As for you…," he took out some rope and tied the young woman's wrists together firmly. Some additional bindings were made so he could fashion a short leash. "Come along," he said as the young woman was forced to follow. The young woman with white hair trailed behind.

There was at least a half-dozen things Sethos wanted to say to Kisara and many of them did not sound remotely pleasant. But he did admire her and his brother's ingenuity at this 'chance' meeting. Even though it wasn't the greatest of settings, they were together. Society was forcing their roles now. Soon that wouldn't be the case.


	24. An Altar to the Gods

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-gi-oh

**My Notes: **Trying to get back on schedule. In other news, has anyone else been as tired as I have been? It seems like the past few days, maybe weeks, I just can't seem to get out of bed. I'm sleeping a lot longer than I should be. But then I also have trouble sleeping when I need to as well. Maybe it's nothing. I've also been having some rather odd dreams. Granted that's nothing new, but still. I've been known to have some rather intense periods where I'm not exactly asleep but I'm not 'awake' either. That's kinda the story I want to write, if I ever get around to it. Not that an almost-90 single-space page Fanfiction is insignificant either. What chapter is this one anyways?

**

* * *

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**An Altar to the Gods**

As one of the premier religious official in the entire country, Sethos' knowledge of esoteric and fundamental rites and rituals allowed him a certain degree of haughtiness when it came to unraveling the mysteries of the Egypt's temples. This unnatural source of joy burst forth as the High Priest began lecturing Kisara regarding the various rights and wrongs of humanity as a whole and the fates that awaited those who obeyed and those who rebelled.

"Notice, slave, that at the entrance of this temple are two massive pillars that reach out to the sky above. Note the chiselers inscribing a holy text upon the body of each pillar. If you could read, you would see that this temple is being dedicated to Amon-Ra, whose glory is as eternal as the brightness of the sun. Being one of the gods, to have his patronage here marks a deep-seated need that we Egyptians need for the sun. To deny the sun, we lose everything: our warmth, our crops, our sense of time. There would not be anything for humans to do save wait for death, which would be swift. We show our thanks to the sun, here at the entrance, as also a warning to any outsiders who do not dare worship the sun that everything inside is sacred."

Only this particular white-haired slave would dare have the courage to interrupt Sethos in the middle of his speech. "But what good is it to have these inscriptions when no one can read them?"

"That is for the commoners to learn on their own time!" Sethos spouted. "If they do not have the will to learn how to read their own language, then they aren't fit for much of anything save labor." He also added, quietly and to himself, "With the way some of these villagers are speaking, they don't even know the language itself." This outburst caused some slight stares at a few of grunt laborers, which of course the highly decorated priest chose to ignore.

"But how will anyone really know that this is a temple to Amon-Ra, or that it's even a sacred place?" Kisara asked, in slight confusion.

Sethos wasn't really sure what she was getting at. "When the temple is complete, there'll be armed guards at the entrance as well. The people won't be allowed in, except on certain festivals and occasions, or when they're being accompanied by one of the priests." He tugged at Kisara's makeshift wrist-leash. "Come. I do not have time to dally _outside_ the temple. Pressing matters are inside." He tugged again, making sure that she stumbled a bit, just to continue the façade of the public workers.

Passing inside, between the two pillars that marked the gate was a semi-complete walled courtyard. The wall extended itself from the two pillars and formed a giant rectangle leading up to the main building. The actual temple building itself looked like a bitten end of a piece of bread loaf; the walls and interior were far from finished and were easily viewed by the newcomers. A brick-laid path opened before the two as potters made their earthenware creations in the heat of the midday sun. Twin obelisks were laid beside the pathway, which would be levered into position at the front of the main building sometime soon after outer construction was finished.

"Seems to be proceeding on schedule," Sethos said to himself. "Come." He again tugged the makeshift leash. He walked forward until he was past the horizontal obelisks before turning around so that Kisara could view the entire courtyard and the distance they had traveled. "The space between the gate of the temple and of the temple itself is to serve as a reminder of the vast area that the sun must travel during the course of one day. For Ra to navigate the sky is no great challenge than to keep his boat steady. Yet when he disappears into the underworld, his trials become more and more difficult. Demons attack. The unrepentant and those cast out of house of Osiris lay in wait to trap and kill those who are aboard Ra's holy ship. The great serpent tries to knock the crush the boat to the far shores, rendering it useless. But these attempts all fail before the divine might of Ra as his boat sails forth from the underworld and back in the sky, giving us light once more. These are the fates awaiting those with an evil heart: to get close to the divine radiance and never getting any farther and being repulsed by the good and the holy. Judgment is made upon death and death cannot be cheated."

"How does one know if one is good and just versus proud and evil?" the young slave girl asked, curious.

"The gods can weigh the heart of a person; they can tell if people have jealous desires or if their intentions are as selfless and light as a feather," Sethos answered by rote memory.

"Is that story the inspiration for the Millennium Scales then?" Kisara asked, having seen the balance in the hands of one of Sethos' contemporaries. "The one with Anubis proclaiming his verdict?"

The High Priest looked amused. "That is one of the inspirational ideas, but it is difficult to tell whether the Millennium Scales came first and then the story or vice-versa." Inwardly he smiled, knowing that some of his talks were sinking in, albeit slowly. Reality of the moment sank in however. "How does a slave know such things? It is not common knowledge for one to possess."

And Kisara knew what the hinted threat meant. "Apologies, my High Priest," she said as she knelt to the ground. "The master who owns me has a brother who is much more learned than I am. He likes to share his thoughts as I work."

Sethos merely grumbled to himself. "A slave that thinks is a dangerous thing." He motioned for her to rise. "You would do well to do as you are told, for if you begin to desire things that you cannot have you will easily turn to the path of evil." He took a moment to pause and reflect on his own words before shaking himself out of it. The rope twine was given a pull, as Sethos turned inside.

An array of flanking base posts, holes in the floor for future supports, was among the many things within the roofless interior. Here some of the artisans were busily painting native wildlife at the bottom of the non-completed walls as brick layers were continuing to build the remaining part of the walls. Some of the men whistled the tune to a common ditty as they performed their allotted tasks, though silence was heard as the High Priest entered. One of the men, a stout figure who seemed to enjoy an evening drink of ale far too much, approached the official with a tablet and scroll in his hands. He was clearly one of few people overseeing the construction from the pleased expression his face had put on.

"Your Eminence, here are the projected numbers of men needed to finish construction along with a scheduled number of days left," the head builder said as he handed over the scroll of papyrus. He shot a lewd glance at Kisara while Sethos was momentarily distracted.

"Cut the numbers in half," the High Priest stated in his unique cold tone as he handed the tablet back.

"Eminence? That will make things take twice as long. Is that wise?" the man asked, flustered.

Sethos stared down this portly servant. "I'll need half the men to help construct fortifications and be trained as soldiers. Preparations are underway to make the town more secure. I do not want to see that all this effort go to waste if bandits attack."

The jaw of the head builder dropped. "You expect half the men to join the Pharaoh's army just like that?"

The High Priest's eyes narrowed, hiding them under the shadows cast off his ornate headgear. "There is a war going on in case you forgot. Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt is one of the Pharaoh's most pressing agendas. Dissenters, rogues, and thieves will scour every part of the land in search of easy wealth. An undefended temple would easily be ransacked. I will not allow common _vermin_ any chance to desecrate this shrine."

"I'll have to push back the completion date…" the man stuttered.

"Two additional weeks will suffice," Sethos said as he relaxed his glare. "The flourishes to the temple can be finished after the temple is intact. The dedication ceremony won't be too far off after that. My Chief Scribe will give you my official date."

"You're demanding a lot out of the men, sir," the head builder started to say before Sethos again gave him a serious look. "I'll get right on it."

"See that you do." Sethos was momentarily torn between continuing his inspection of the temple or promptly returning to his chambers. His fingers twisted the rope in his hand, immediately reminding him that he still had to return Kisara. He quickly made up his mind and proceeded to leave the grounds with the slave in tow.

* * *

Later, 

Kisara had long been familiar with Sethos' method of displaying his affection. She knew that everything had to be arranged and calculated if anything as a simple as holding hands could be done. Still she was taken aback at Sethos' disdain towards the past and had led her to his chambers. She had seen him ordering his guards some command, but the gist of it was lost on her. But her eyes widened when she found that they were the only ones inside. He had led her to some small pillowed mats on the floor where they both sat down.

"For all intensive purposes, you are going to be _disciplined _by the High Priest himself," Sethos said quietly, running his fingers through her long hair.

"But what of all your warnings against this kind of behavior?" Kisara felt her heart throb wildly in her chest.

"A lot of things have been on my mind lately. With all that's happened…," Sethos stopped to look her in the eyes, his hands firmly on her shoulders.

Kisara met his stare. "Yes?"

A long moment passed before Sethos actually turned away. "Time is fleeting. It is our duty to make every moment count. And yet…"

The wool fibers of her slave clothing were chafing Kisara, but that wasn't the only thing that was making her anxious. Her thoughts and emotions were whirling inside her little mind, but she tried to hide it. Her increase breathing was the only outward sign of concern.

"Kisara…," Sethos started. He shut his eyes. "A disturbing thought has been growing inside of me ever since I heard of it. It won't let me go, even when I try to avoid it, even when I don on this attire. Combined with my repressed ardor for you, it grows strongly. Too strongly." His hands fell away from her.

She reached out to one of his hands and held it in her own. "You are a priest. You should know what to do," she said quietly.

He opened his eyes. "That's what's troubling. Something like this has happened before."

"Tell me what you are thinking."

He squeezed her hand softly. "A prediction has been given to me."

Kisara let out a frustrated sigh, knowing that things never turned out exactly as prophesized. But she tried to give Sethos an encouraging look, despite her misgivings.

"I…I'm fated to fight against the Pharaoh."

They were both quiet for a moment: him lost in his own thoughts, Kisara wondering if he was serious. "Do you want to?" she asked.

"Not really. But improvements could be made; drastic changes in the social system, equality could reign among all…"

Kisara knew what he was hinting at. But she kept quiet for a moment as Sethos collected his thoughts.

"…And the Pharaoh's so young. Plus with this war he's waging that might go on for a very long time, he could easily be slain. He has yet to produce an heir, if he could only pick his queen…"

"But could you? Really could you fight your friend?" Kisara interrupted.

He took but a second to reply. "I could. But only if the right motivation strikes."

Kisara rested her head against his chest. "Then pray that the right motivation doesn't come along." But somewhere, out in the distance perhaps, she heard someone laughing. Laughing like a madman.


	25. Misgivings Looming

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-gi-oh

**My Notes: **I don't like this chapter. Hell, I don't like any chapter where I have to set things up. I don't know, this chapter just didn't want to come and I've tried my best to make it remotely interesting. I can only promise that the next few chapters that I've got lined up should be better. Of course there's no guarantee on that. But I guess if you're still reading this story you know that things will eventually come to a climax. When that happens, who knows? Anyways I'll try to keep at it.

And what happened to reality during these latest shows? I'm scratching my head wondering what kind of intuitive jump I need to make with my logic to watch what's unfolding? (An entire airplane empty? Seto and Alastor dueling on top of a 747? How the heck did he get aboard, or remotely near, a KaibaCorp plane anyways? My head hurts.)

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**Misgivings Looming**

When Kisara returned to her slave quarters, everyone gave her a wide breath. This was more than likely due to the fact that she was covered from head to toe with bruises, cuts, and other injuries. Some of the other slaves whispered among themselves, while the slave master watched as Kisara winced her way to her bed of straw. As she settled for rest, the slave couldn't but help but shed a few tears from her blue eyes. For a long time, no one came remotely came close. Which was as it always was. But her silence and her 'wounds' insured the two lovers from suspicion.

For the next few days, no one dared defied the will of the High Priest. While he still demanded a lot of the workers and the soldiers, they were given a brief respite as the town was well fortified according to Sethos' designs. Temple construction was still behind schedule but there was nothing that could be done about that. All in all, everyday life returned to the small town, which put everyone's mind at ease.

Of course it couldn't last…

"I must set out to the south, brother," Sethos said as finished packing a knapsack full of scrolls. "I trust you can handle things while I'm away, Menkura?"

"Just stick to the things on the list," the younger brother answered in rote, glancing at the lengthy parchment he had in his hands. "Do you think all this is necessary?"

"I do not want the villagers to know that I'm missing. I just got here; it would upset them to know I was leaving so suddenly." Sethos closed the knapsack and let it stand on his desk. "What do you think?" The High Priest was no longer decked out in his official regalia, but in a merchant's garb: rough wool pants, a relatively clean linen shirt, and a loose head-circlet that hid most of his hair and covered the back of his head. Several small bags were tied to his sash-belt, each laden with coins worth up to five hundred gold. A sword was also attached, clearly visible by the bags. He draped a sand colored shawl around his shoulders.

"You look just like one of market merchants. Although you probably don't have a seller's call like most of them do." The young boy remembered his brother's failed attempts at singing; the only word that he chose to describe that painful act was riotous.

"Could be worse," Sethos stated as he slung a water flagon over his back. "I shouldn't be more than a few days. Try to keep things in order while I'm gone." He picked up the knapsack as well before taking the other exit out of his temporary office.

"Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen," the lion haired boy cried. "Come back safe, you hear?"

A string of camels and mules were just out of plain sight from the manor house where the High Priest was staying. Only his elite guards were aware of his plan to scout the southern border and only four of them were accompanying him. Saddling a camel, Sethos acknowledged their departure, taking them into the heart of the town, before exiting.

Though he didn't enjoy his unofficial outings, Sethos appreciated the need to see the villagers as they truly are and not how they acted in front of him. Many courtesies that he thought were given to everyone were immediately dropped. Certain truths were also exposed before the unwary visitor. As he gripped the reins of his ride, he wondered what his life would have been like if he hadn't entered public office. _More than likely, I probably would have become a merchant,_ he thought to himself. _Father did say I had a way with numbers and a liking to gold._

The sun was not yet overhead as the small train of animals left the town. _A caravan this size would probably be gone a month's time. Nubian goods are well worth the effort however; the fabrics and spices go for too much for my liking. _The sight of the lush scenery that lay far ahead slightly confused Sethos and he consulted his map. _There's the desert, there's the Nile. Hmm. That kind of vegetation shouldn't be this far north, should it? Just one way to find out._

Travel was slow and incredibly boring. His guards weren't exactly suited for conversation either. The High Priest thought that a camel ride would be suitable for catching up on his reading, remembering the smooth ride he had coming south. Unfortunately his current camel, a student of the jostle school of locomotion, was giving such a rough ride that meant that Sethos had to readjust himself on the camel's hump every ten paces or so. And he would growl his dissatisfaction which you could mark with precision clockwork.

Needless to say after a long day's ride and after camp was set up and a small dinner was eaten, Sethos was finally given the chance to relax. A warm fire before him, he was now getting to the letters he had been sent during his absence in the country's politics. One scroll, which bore Prophetess Isis-Nefer's seal, caught his attention. The contents of the letter read as follows:

To the High Priest Sethos,

Esteemed colleague, I hope this letter finds you well. Strange occurrences are unfolding here at the palace. In light of your absence, the Pharaoh has turned to several new advisors, disregarding many of us who hold seniority. Many of these personages have been advocating full and total war among our northern brethren. Though he still seems reluctant, his eyes speak differently. They seem to have grown harder, fiercer. Perhaps it is only my imagination. But he has been pulling non-active garrisons closer to our northern border, much to my dismay. A precaution, he tells us.

Though palace life has yet to return to normal (what could be considered normal in our day?) there has been recent talk regarding the Millennium Ring and who should rightfully inherit it. Though there are still unsettling doubts regarding Priest Mahado's death, the Pharaoh urges us to move forward. Many of us priests wish to hold a contest to see who is skillful enough to wield it, as many of us have done in the past. A young woman, apparently Mahado's apprentice, seems the likely candidate to win. But again, our efforts are being thwarted by this new crowd of advisors. They wish to choose one of their own, which seems highly unorthodox as they have yet to release any information regarding their contender. An answer will be reported to us in a few days time.

Due to the lack of information we have regarding these newcomers, I have asked my brother to infiltrate their numbers. Though you would disapprove, Marik-Manu can be charming when he wishes to be. Perhaps he can find secrets that I, a lowly woman, cannot find out. I just hope that I am not risking my brother in this attempt. I shall keep you up to date as best as I can.

Speaking of which, how fares your tasks to the south? It seems so unexpected, given your recent illness and hasty recovery. Still you must know what is best for yourself. I would have——something. A vision just came to me! I apologize for ending my letter so abruptly but I must record this at once.

Sincerely,

-The Lady Isis-Nefer

Sethos was slightly dismayed by the abrupt ending to the letter and pawed through the rest of his mail to see if any others contained the prophetess' seal. Only one, just a few day old, was hidden among all the other parchment. He broke the royal seal and read the brief note in its nearly illegible scrawl:

Beware the white-haired ones! They seek an unholy goal! The Pharaoh knows! Do not return to the palace unless you plan to liberate it! My brother! They've taken my brother!

The note ended with water stained marks, most likely tears. "White-haired ones," Sethos whispered, recalling to memory that fellow traveler he saw, or thought he saw, on his way down south. His mind recalled the words that were spoken to him in warning: _"As your desire grows, your vision dims. If you can forsake your longing, then you may be able to achieve the impossible." This is rubbish!_ Sethos thought to himself as he spat to one side. Only two logical choices came up in his mind: that Isis-Nefer was again sprouting irrelevant and false predictions or there was _actually_ something concealed going on. But he had no way of determining anything happening inside the palace as long as he was in the south. As long as his objectives were unfinished, both official and personal, he couldn't go back north. _I'll have to send Menkura. He shall have to be my eyes and ears. I can always trust my brother; he would never betray me. _

The High Priest reread both letters again. His thoughts this time came to the white-haired one in his possession. _Could Kisara be hiding things from me?_ he wondered. He shook his head. _But she is no position to do anything and she is already carrying out a conspiracy to hide our love. _His eyes widened at a remote possibility. _Could it be our love is but a sham in order to get close to the High Priest, a string in order for me to do something against my bidding? _He recalled all his history with the young woman. _It couldn't have been planned. It just couldn't._ He gritted his teeth and rose to fetch a flagon of water. Dousing his head with the water brought a chilling sensation to his pulsing mind. _Mere speculation is useless. I must concentrate at the task at hand and go from there. Foremost on my agenda is to reconnoiter this area carefully. Then when I get back to the town, ensure that the temple is completed on time. Those are the only things I must do now._ He shook his head to free it from excess water before returning to his place by the fire. _There's enough on my mind already. I must forget all this nonsense of predictions, of the Pharaoh, and do my best as High Priest of Egypt. Whatever happens will happen because _I_ choose it to happen, nothing more, nothing less. _It was this thought that filled his mind as he watched the fire dwindle down, which would lead him to sleep as well.


	26. Hidden Changes

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh…because I cannot draw to save my life.

**My Notes: **Had to thrown in the cliché villains discussing plans part. Not that I wasn't already teasing you readers enough. Anyways I've had some disturbing thoughts about this story. I mean, why do I continue to write it? It's not an original work; its use as a writing exercise is winding down; doesn't appear to be any new readers; and honestly I thought I'd be done by now (at least written through all the scenes I had originally planned). I'm sorry for whining but I do fear my future: there's not a lot of room in the business world for an aspiring fiction writer, especially in this day and age. I'm just scared and depressed. And reminded how lonely I am (Accused Valentine's Day!). Anyways I'm sure most of you will skip all this and continue to read this story and demand an update which I'll eventually provide. (I truly wonder how you readers actually 'see' this story? Does it really work, the fictional magic? It's hard to reverse engineer in my mind since I know what's going on but how do you see what I see? Perhaps you don't..) Guess some things won't change. Well I'm off to go and see how I can cheer myself up. And to anyone not familiar with Frank Herbert's Dune Series, go and read those wonderful books. You won't be disappointed. They were one of the reasons why I wanted to be a writer.

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**Hidden Changes**

Sethos' intuitive sense perked when he and his company of troops entered into a lush mess of green vegetation. The sharp contrast from tan barren wilderness into an emerald palace seemed almost unreal, except for the experienced traveler. Tall trees, their leaves like fans, branched out to soak up the sun's rays as the small group marched forward.

"Must have a water source nearby," one of the High Priest's guards stated.

Sethos turned his face upwards. "Obviously." He glanced at his map, as his camel stopped and tried to take a bite out of a leafy green. "We should inform the villagers that suitable farming land is available for cultivation." A crack of his whip sent his camel forward.

"Do you think there's something here?" One of his guards asked.

Another responded before Sethos could. "The High Priest wouldn't drag us out here if he hadn't had his suspicions."

Yet another voice asked. "But what could be out here?"

_Yes, what could be out here,_ Sethos thought to himself. _There has to be something those rogue wizards I investigated earlier want me not to discover. _He felt the cloth of his cap move around the back of his neck, as a mosquito buzzed around his head. _Just need something out of the ordinary. _

Shade and shadows weaved patterns upon their faces as they traveled deeper inside. Before long it got to a point where they needed to dismount and walk their pack animals on foot. Their walking thundered in the silence that would have pervaded. An unnatural silence.

One of his men found unusual footmarks scattered on the ground. A cautionary glance, though, did not reveal the type of creature who could create such a mark on the earth. This incident raised the eyebrow of the High Priest, though he did not reveal his thoughts.

A few hours in, Sethos found what he knew was here; what the sorcerers wanted to protect. "Amazing," he whispered. The unnatural pattern of the trees growth was a telltale sign. The animals were far from dwelling from this place.

"What is it, your Eminence?" the chief guard asked.

"A doorway," he answered. _Not just a doorway, a gateway, a nexus. But it is unprotected. _The High Priest thought to himself. _Why? Or are there defenses I have not noticed?_

As if to confirm his greatest doubts, a roar was heard fifty meters within the spiraling green. His guards drew their spears, while Sethos reached for his scroll codex. The Millennium Rod was also clutched in his hands.

It too was green, as it moved among the plants. It ran on all fours, swift but nosily, as if not yet adaptive to the current environment. Sethos' eyes darted left, right, trying to get a glimpse of the beast. Nothing was forthcoming, save the growl and the rasping of its claws against the earth.

"There!" one of his guards shouted.

"No! Here!"

"Remember your training and do not give in to your fears," Sethos yelled as he griped his badge of office. "There may be more than one," he added as two trees shook, each in opposite directions. He paged through his scrolls, hoping to find a monster could rival this unknown. His eyes honed in on one that he thought would be suitable and allowed them to close as he let his trained powers take command. His mouth began chanting.

"I see it!" his chief guard cried. "There are its wings! Steady your spears!" An antagonizing moment passed before the creature leapt out at the soldiers. Its wail shuddered the most hardened, the most battle experienced, gave way to fear. A claw swiped at one of the men, bringing blood to the surface of his chest, causing him to cry out. The camels and the mules tried to escape, longing to survive, kicking up dirt.

"Bring forth from the realm of earth, my One-Eyed Giant!" Sethos cried out. As if appearing from a fold in space, a massive man-like being stretching its limbs. Its one eyes dominated the forehead of the beast, blinking in its new environment. Its pale green skin differed from the lush green of the plants. Still it readied itself towards Sethos' command. "Obliterate my enemies!" the High Priest ordered his summoned monster, though both were mind-linked in a special way.

Though lacking depth perception, the giant rushed towards the other clawed green beast. The trees swayed as the giant pushed them away, hunting. The men were tending to the wounded. The smell of blood called the other creature forth, it howling as it reached for attack. The cyclops was ready and swung its fist into the face of the long-eared monster, sending it hurling into the trees. Battered but not killed, the little minx creature hurled itself back, scratching its claws into the Sethos' beast. Both High Priest and his summoned monster cried out in pain, a momentarily distraction that let the smaller lean beast a chance to escape their vision.

A growl emerged from the right. Turning too late, another lithe green beast clawed the flesh of Sethos' behemoth, doubling the pain they both received. Only two options lay open to his mind, as his fellow soldiers readied themselves for attack. _I either summon a stronger monster or I assist my ailing giant. _Sethos began paging through his codex in search for something handy.

Yells came from his spearmen as they dodged and weaved the foliage in hunt of their two aggressors. Like hawks to a rabbit, the swift winged green monsters quickly began picking off these would-be attackers. The One-eyed Giant stood as a sentinel, a silent witness to the onslaught, yet duty bound to protect his master, despite clutching its bleeding chest.

Sethos growled, but his eyes found a monster worthy. He thrust his Millennium Rod out, shouting, "Let your essence flow into my new creature, The Blade Wielding Ox-man." The wounded giant let not a sound emerge from his mouth as it was converted into a white light. Hovering and void of form, the light buried itself into the earth, rupturing the ground. But a shadow creature emerged from the depths, a red helmet clearly visible, two white horns were punctured through. Matching gauntlets and body armor adorned the bovine-like man, though it didn't hide the distinctive nose, tail, and cloven feet. A slender blade was gripped in its unusual hands.

The two lithe creatures scurried in haste for their combined attack. One darted high while the other barreled low. The Ox-man was able to strike the leaping green mass with a clean strike of its blade, but the other got past him. Sethos' breathing stopped as he braced for attack; the impact sent him back into a tree while the green monster slashed at his chest with its claws. Pain and warmth bled out of the High Priest as he tried to fend himself. Fear of deeper wounds was silenced as the Ox-man brought its sword down the center of the monster's head.

The lone human slumped down, panting heavily. _This turned out well,_ he thought.

As evening descended, Sethos was hastily finishing the building of pyres for his elite guard. Managing while injured was a difficult task, but resolute will kept his mind focused and away from the pain. His compatriots' clothing made impromptu bandages; the only choice since their pack animals had long since fled from the scene.

Sethos walked up to the five piles, composed mainly of fallen lumber. _Interning the bodies by fire will hopefully remind their spirits of Ra's grace and mercy._ He uttered a small prayer, before reaching for his codex and reciting the fire spell inscribed. As if the heavens were blessing their ordained minister, a scorching red meteorite flashed across the sky before impacting itself among the five honored dead, causing fires to ignite. As the pyres caught fire, mischievous little sparks struck a small trail of conveniently placed leaves and other flammable material. Within moments, the entire area was beginning to be consumed by one of nature's natural elements. _While I doubt this fire will actually affect the gateway portal, it will send a clear message to these Sorcerers: Do not mess with the forbidden powers!_

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Of course the High Priest was being watched, remotely. A grin was upon the face of Gehaji, second in command after Bakura, and loyal follower of the Aswad-Lukman, the 'Black Prophet.' In the place of grey shadows, the young lean man watched, waiting for his emissary from the future. He ran his fingers through his white hair, a short tangled web that tried to reach to all points in space, yet not. He was proud of his heritage, the genetic mark that allowed the bearer unfathomable potential in things man was not supposed to know. Once there had been a village where all descendants had been concentrated; a village that now stands outside of time, its populace having been decimated. Gehaji growled as he remembered when the few survivors found out who was responsible. Many swore revenge and began wearing their most notorious prizes around their necks, in mockery of those who had commanded the slaughter. Bakura rose through their ranks by actually stealing the Millennium Ring, clearly showing his defiance to the priests of Egypt. 

"You are woolgathering," an icy voice called out.

Gehaji merely shrugged to his unknown visitor. "I was merely planning for the future."

Yami Bakura stood clearly in front of his fellow kinsman, eyeing him with his one good eye. "Don't you know? The future's been decided. We are only actors on the stage." He gripped Gehaji's arm from the inside, a sign of token trust between survivors.

"You never did strike me as a fanatical believer," Gehaji said, locking eyes on _the_ white-haired demon.

"The Aswad-Lukman speaks true, so why shouldn't I believe?" Bakura gave the same self-assured shrug the other had given. "Soon we will all have what we all that we want." The Millennium Ring chimed, its pointers clashing.

"I see your trip was successful." A simple statement of fact.

Yami Bakura grin widened. "Yes, now with two Millennium Items in my possession and the Puzzle safely out of the way, Kaiba won't be able to make a proper move against us." His eye locked on his colleague's trophy, tracing the odd and unusual curves the blade made.

"The odds are not in his favor," Gehaji reported, "but he possesses the High Priest's cunning. And there are still the Scales in questionable hands."

Yami Bakura licked his lips at the sound of the Scales. "If what I've discovered is true, then they lie in the hands of one of our kin-sisters."

"Is that true? Who would it be?"

"Kisara." A look of acknowledgement passed through both young men, each knowing the danger she had represented.

"But she died," Gehaji said quietly. "Surely she cannot pose that great a threat."

"Strange things happen when people truly die. But I wouldn't know." The sly grin returning to Yami Bakura.

The second in command remembered why they were here. "What are your orders?"

A momentarily thoughtful look appeared on Yami Bakura's face. "There should be more sibling rivalry. Send Mokuba back to his brother. That should keep the future lot busy." He stroked his chin. "I will be spying on Yugi to make sure he doesn't learn too much," he said as he momentarily exchanged his demonic appearance to that of his innocent naïve host. "You should try to cajole Kisara into our service. One final attempt before her untimely departure will not hurt in the least."

"And what shall I tell our brothers and sisters?"

"Prepare for our rapture. Our ascension is near!"


	27. The Story Continues

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

**Date: **August 9, 2005

**My Notes:** Okay, a lot of you are going to be asking, "Where have I been these past several months?" The short answer is "away." The long answer is this: Sometime after my last update, my computer decides to have one of its hard drives fail. All the data that was on it was erased which included my extensive and detailed notes to this story. From that time, I stopped all work and did not bother to do any writing whatsoever. Now thanks to one very persistent reader (who will go nameless) I will attempt to finish what I started last year.

However since the scope of "Sinister Fortune" is still quite large, I have decided against continuing the story in its previous format. While this may disappoint some of you, I simply cannot maintain a sustained continued interest in Yu-gi-oh towrite lengthy episodic chapters. Instead you will recieve a multi-chapter synopsis, which I admit are not as detailed as they should be, but will serve to further "Sinister Fortune" till its eventual conclusion. Its either this or to leave this story completely unfinshed.

Also, after reviewing my work, I've noticed quite a number of errors within "Sinister Fortune" that currently exist. As I cannot go and correct those errors, please excuse them, and any future errors (read: plot holes) that may occur. I am only human. Updates will occur when I can manage them.

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How Sinister Fortune continues:

**Chapter 27: Village Out of Time**

Yugi awakens in a small desert village since his last duel with Mokuba. A young villager woman, who has been taking care of him, tells him that the village elder wishes to see him. Yugi is still dazed from his battle, and starts talking to Yami until he realizes that the M. Puzzle is missing. Blinded by the morning light, he exits his room and meets the various people of this village. He realizes that everyone possesses a singular universal trait: they all have white hair. Right on cue, Ryou Bakura appears and wonders how Yugi got here. Yugi explains that he somehow got here after losing to Mokuba. Ryou explains that he often comes here when his 'Yami' is in control, though he never has met anyone he knew. The two decide to go see this village elder since he might explain things.

**Chapter 28: Hidden Revelations **(Working Title)

As the two walk in this strange village, Yugi can't help but notice that a certain young woman appears every now and again. But every time he tries to call out to her, she vanishes. Ryou states he sees her too, and that she looks very familiar, but has no clue who she is. Everyone else in the village seems to pay them no attention. Having arrived at the largest building in the village, the two enter inside, hoping to find this elder. Inside it becomes Shadow Realm dark, even though the building's interior is still intact. Sitting calmly within are an elderly couple, both of whom look well aged. They speak as one and address both Yugi and Bakura as the 'Pharaoh Incarnate' and the 'Advisor Corrupt.' Confused and asking for an explanation, the elders reply that the two of them carried the actions of their predecessors within them, and until the two of them resolved their differences, they would be forced to repeat history. Although Yugi has an idea of what the elderly couple was talking about, he wasn't quite sure how to go about it, while Ryou Bakura had no idea. Frustrated at this response, the two elders begin chanting a mantra and the Shadow Realm energies revolve around the two heroes.

**Chapters 29 & 30: Past Lives Examined **and** The Crisis Elucidated**

Yugi is nauseated, but when it passes, he feels his old familiar bond between him and Yami. But instead of Yami behaving as a separate entity, Yugi feels him inside himself. Yami the Pharaoh begins a long narrative of his life fully recalled with no gaps in the memory, as if he was a recording. Ryou also feels the old familiar bond between himself and his Yami. Yami Bakura also compliments the story of the Pharaoh so that one complete picture emerges. That story is as follows:

Yami the Pharaoh becomes King of Egypt at an early age. He has a well assembled staff of advisors and priests who run a just country. Yami Bakura is sent to the court of the new pharaoh as an envoy/representative of a village (the village of white-haired magicians aka the village they are in) that resides on Egypt's borders. Having been assigned a post at the court, Bakura begins to nurse a secret desire of greed. One of the Pharaoh's priests dies and a contest is held for the M. Ring. Bakura performs well enough, but at the moment of greatest uncertainty between him and another contestant, he gives in and cheats his way to victory. Being assigned a new post and a new rank, Bakura secretly begins funneling the royal treasury into his own pockets. In time he becomes acquainted with bandits and thieves and begins to plunder the royal tombs. The young pharaoh is unaware because a) he is naïve, and b) he's getting married, so he's distracted. Senior members of the priests complain, but they are silenced through Bakura's wiles. The pharaoh wedding day comes and as he gets a new queen, Bakura usurps power and imprisons the royal couple.

Thankfully the High Priest anticipated this, and begins leading an army to attack the capital, thus dividing the country into Northern and Southern Egypt. Eventually the High Priest succeeds in besieging the capital, and Bakura attempts one last ruse. He tricks the young ruler into believing that the High Priest is coming to kill him and thus pits the Pharaoh against the High Priest. Here the story abruptly ends and both Yugi and Ryou ask why. The Shadow Realm energies disperse and the two elders tell them that history did not record a single timeline. Due to the powerful magicks invoked by the three participants (the Pharaoh, Bakura, and the High Priest) three different events played out into the timeline. Each of the timelines has one decisive winner but because the events overlapped, there's no clear answer. The timeline 'settled' when the bearers of the Millennium Items died and were scattered. But because now the M. Items fell into their respective owners in the present, the problems of the past begin to intrude on the timeline again. Thus Thoth's paradox becomes clear: the past can alter the future and vice-versa. There won't be any solid timeline until these events are resolved. Burdened by these truths, Yugi asks 'What can be done?' The answer given is to create a new timeline where both past and present events harmonize.

(At the present, that really is just Ryou Bakura and not his evil counterpart pretending to be him. Also the events describe the timeline as it originally played out. Since these events do not correspond to the ones already described in Sinister Fortune, the various forces are altering both past and future.)

**Chapter 31, 32, & 33: Family Blood Feud, Riding the Streams of Time, **and** The Price of Sacrifice.**

Meanwhile, events turn towards Domino. As Joey, Kaiba, and Tristan bicker and argue about what to do in Kaiba's mansion. Roland then informs the young CEO that someone has seized control of KaibaCorp Tower and demands to duel Seto. Easily roused, Kaiba heads to the tower and takes the two friends along. Returning to his very office, Seto confronts the only other person who can lay claim to the Kaiba dynasty: Mokuba. The younger sibling, still wearing his latest trophy, hurls abuse at his brother. Eventually the older Kaiba loses his cool and the two decide to duel. Mokuba again exploits the M. Puzzle so he can score an early lead with his elemental deck. Seto recovers but before he can get an advantage, Mokuba summons a BEWD and then three fused. Seto slowly begins losing badly. As if knowing the threat to its master, the M. Rod activates.

5000 years in the past, High Priest Sethos is returning to his incomplete temple. He finds that the city in which he has been sent to guard is being attacked by those rogue sorcerers he knew were in the area. He makes his way towards his temporary residence to find Menkura and Kisara battling against a foe only known as Gehaji. Sethos arrives as he takes Kisara hostage. The two summon monsters and wield magic but Sethos is fighting poorly as he doesn't wish to harm his beloved. He conceives of a plan that might work, but he knows the price of victory would be very high. But seeing his strength failing, he doesn't know what else to do. His M. Rod activates at the moment of his greatest despair.

Both men, Seto and Sethos again become aware of the other, but this time they feel themselves in the other. Sethos, through Seto's eyes sees the image of the fused BEWD and hearing Kisara's voice saying "that because that dragon is in the future, so I will also be. You must carry out your plan." Seto, through Sethos' eyes, sees Menkura and hears Mokuba's voice saying "my big brother will do whatever is necessary to protect me, even if he has to smack me around a bit." So both Seto and Sethos, drawing strength from the other, summon the Egyptian Demon Nehebau the Soul Serpent (So not the original name. I really had the Egyptian Demons well thought out and their various powers, etc.) each to their respective battles. A great massive snake, huge and scaly, appears and is really, really big and scary. The two men's connection cuts, but each knows what they have to do: High Priest Sethos uses Nehebau like a dart and has it pierce through Kisara to slay Gehaji. Sethos realizes what he has done and cradles Kisara's body, sobbing. She tells him that he did what needed to be done and the gods will reward him somehow. Meanwhile Menkura takes Gehaji's dagger. This is the act that allows him to control Mokuba in the future.

Seto uses Nehebau to destroy Mokuba's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, in a similar dart-like fashion which strikes Mokuba in the chest. Shocked by the similar tactic used to defeat him in the past, Gehaji loses his hold on Mokuba and is thus free. The two brothers make up as Seto holds his newfound Egpytian Demon card in his hand. Part of the High Priest's memory is now illuminated in Seto Kaiba's mind, and knows he has to go find the other two. He allows Mokuba to wear the M. Puzzle until they can find Yugi. And the four of them go searching for Yami Bakura.


End file.
